Football | October 12, 2016

• Western Michigan is ranked inside the top-25 in both the USA Today Amway Coaches Poll and the Associated Press Poll for the first time in program history. The Broncos are No. 23 in the Coaches and No. 24 in the AP.


• Western Michigan begins the season 6-0 for the first time since 1941, when the team started 8-0. The Broncos defeated Northern Illinois 45-30 last Saturday. It marked the first victory over the Huskies since 2008.


• Western Michigan's 34-10 win over Illinois earlier this season gave the Broncos two wins against B1G opponents for the first time in school history. Western Michigan opened the season with a 22-21 win over Northwestern. 


• Wide receiver Corey Davis is currently the active leading receiver in the FBS with 4,374 yards, a title he ended the 2015 season with. He is currently the all-time MAC receiving record and 631 yards away from the all-time FBS receiving record. 


• Davis set a new Western Michigan receiving TD record last week. He finished with six catches for 122 yards and 2 TDs against Northern Illinois giving him 41 touchdowns for his career, breaking a tie with Greg Jennings, who finished his career with 39.


• Western Michigan is currently the only team in the country without a turnover. The six-game stretch is the longest by any team at any point in the season since at least 2004. The previous best streak to start a season was Oregon State in 2010 which started four games without a turnover.


• Overall the Broncos are second in the country in turnover margin at +11.

Making Postseason Plans
• Western Michigan's 6-0 start has the team bowl eligible for the third straight season.

• If the Broncos are selected to a bowl, it will mark the first time in program history they have gone to three straight bowl games.

• Western Michigan is currently one of just six programs in the country that has already attained bowl eligibility joining 
Clemson, Michigan, Alabama, Texas A&M and Washington.

Setting the National Standard
• Western Michigan currently has a eight-game winning streak dating back to last season. 

• The Broncos' streak is the longest at WMU since 2000 when the team also won eight straight.

• Overall the Broncos are 13-2 in their last 15 games, the best record at WMU in that stretch since going 14-1 during a three-year stretch from 1940-42.

• Western Michigan's streak is also the third-longest active win streak in the country. Below are the top-four active win streaks in the country.

School        Current Win Streak
1.     Alabama        18
2.     Washington    9
3.    Western Michigan    8
    Ohio State    8

Creating Chaos
• Western Michigan created chaos around CMU QB Cooper Rush on Oct. 1, sacking him eight times.

• The eight sacks are the most by the Bronco defense since having nine vs. Ball State on Oct. 21, 2006.

• For the season, Western Michigan has 18 sacks, surpassing its total from all of last year.

Beating the Big Dogs
• Western Michigan beat two B1G opponents in the same season for the first time this year, beating Northwestern and Illinois.

• Below are all the wins for the Broncos over current Power 5 opponents.

Year    Opponent    Score
1917    Michigan State    W, 14-0
1919    Michigan State    W, 21-18
1964    Louisville    W, 10-7
1988    Wisconsin    W, 24-14
1994    Iowa State    W, 23-19
2000    Iowa    W, 27-21
2006    Virginia    W, 17-10
2007    Iowa    W, 28-19
2008    Illinois    W, 23-17
2016    Northwestern    W, 22-21
2016    Illinois    W, 34-10

Building a Winning Tradition
• Last season marked the first time in program history Western Michigan has won eight games in back-to-back seasons as well as playing in a bowl in consecutive seasons. 

• With the win last Saturday, the Broncos have 22 wins over the last three seasons. Below are the most wins in a two and three-year span.

Two Years    Wins
1      2014-15    16
       1999-2000    16
3.     2005-06    15
        1997-98    15
5.     14 done 9 times

Three Years    Wins
1.     1998-2000    23
2.     2006-08    22
       1997-99    22
    2014-16    22
5.    1988-90    21
       1970-72    21

Hog the Ball
• Western Michigan started a new streak of winning the time of possession battle last week vs. Northern Illinois after having its 16-game streak in that category snapped vs. Georgia Southern.

• The Broncos possessed the ball for 35:20, the second-most time they've held the ball this season.

• This year Western Michigan is still among the top teams in the country in possessing the ball, averaging 33:33, good for 19th in the country.

• Last year, WMU was second in the country only to Stanford with a mark of 34:33.

The Ball is the Program
• Western Michigan is the only team in the country not to commit a turnover.

• Last week against Northern Illinois, Western Michigan was +2 in the turnover column.

• For the year, the Broncos are +11 in turnover margin, good for second in the country.

• The Broncos have six interceptions and five fumble recoveries. The six interceptions are all by three players who have two picks apiece (Darius Phillips, Robert Spillane and Justin Ferguson).

Explosive Offense
• Western Michigan has piled on the points in the first six games, totaling 269.

• The 269 points includes a 70-point explosion against NCCU which was the most points scored by the Broncos since 1996.

• The 269 point total is the most by a WMU team through its first six games since 1916 when the team scored 395, also the program record for most through five games.

• This year's average of 44.8 points per game is the most in the MAC and sixth most in the country.

Pound the Rock
• Last year the Broncos' offense ranked 26th in the country in passing and 29th in rushing. 

• The team was one of only seven schools to rank in the top-30 in both rushing and passing joining Baylor, Clemson, Arizona, Oklahoma, TCU and Indiana.

• This year the Broncos have improved on the rushing attack, averaging 246.8 yards on the ground through six games, good for 15th in the country. 

Emphasis on Special Teams
• Western Michigan has put an emphasis on special teams since Coach Fleck arrived in 2013. 

• The Broncos have had a freshman All-American kick returner in Darius Phillips in 2014.

• Part of the reason for WMU's dominance in the third phase of the game has been special teams coordinator Rob Wenger's ability to focus on just special teams as he is one of just 10 FBS coordinators to have no other responsibilties.

• Below is a list of special teams coordiantors who are not tasked with coaching another position.

Boston College
Florida International
Kansas
Kansas State
Nebraska
San Diego State
Utah State
Washington State
Western Michigan
Wisconsin

Electrifying Returns
• Cornerback Darius Phillips has provided electricity this season, returning a kickoff, punt, and two interceptions for  touchdowns.

• Phillips has recorded two pick-sixes this season, beginning with a 70-yard return vs. Georgia Southern before taking back an 85-yard interception vs. Central Michigan. The 85-yard pick-six is the third of Phillips' career and is the third-longest in the country this season.

• Against Georgia Southern, Phillips returned his third career kickoff for a touchdown, and his second of 100-yards after also doing so against Michigan State last season.

• After earning All-America honors as a kick returner in 2014, Phillips fielded his first punts on Sept. 10 vs. North Carolina Central, returning the second punt of his career 66 yards for the first punt return TD by a Bronco since Greg Jennings in 2004.

• Phillips has earned MAC West Player of the Week honors twice this season following the NC Central and Georgia Southern games.

Airing it Out
• Zach Terrell is one of the most prolific quarterbacks in the country, ranking third in the nation in active career passing yards with 9,961

Career Passing Yards
1.    Cooper Rush, CMU    11,160
2.    Nick Mullens, So. Miss    10,596
3.    Zach Terrell, WMU    9,961
4.    Dane Evans, Tulsa    9,467
5.    Phillip Walker, Temple    8,789

Light Up the Scoreboard
• Terrell has become proficient at lighting up scoreboards with his 78 career TD passes. Here is where he stands among active QBs.

Career TD Passes
1.    Cooper Rush, CMU    82
2.    Nick Mullens, So. Miss    79
3.    Zach Terrell, WMU    78
4.    Patrick Mahomes, Texas Tech    72
5.    Davis Webb, Cal    68

Deadly Accurate
• In addition to throwing for many yards, Terrell is also one of the most accurate QBs with a career completion percentage of 64.7, good for sixth among active QBs. Below are the top 10.

Career Completion Percentage
1.    Luke Falk, Washington State    69.3
2.    Greg Ward Jr., Houston    67.6
3.    Deshaun Watson, Clemson    66.0
4.    Brent Stockstill, Middle Tenn.    65.2
5.    Brandon Silvers, Troy    65.0
6.    Zach Terrell, Western Michigan    64.7
7.    Patrick Mahomes, Texas Tech    64.4
8.    Sefo Liufau, Colorado    63.5
9.    Cooper Rush, Central Michigan    62.8
10.    Tyler Jones, Texas State    62.3

Doing it Efficiently
• Quarterback Zach Terrell is one of the most efficient QBs in the country this season, ranking third in 2016 with a passer efficiency rating of 186.9 Below are the top 5 QB in the country this season

Quarterback, School    2016 Efficiency
1. Jake Browning, Washington    204.9
2. Logan Woodside, Toledo    204.0
3. Zach Terrell, Western Michigan    186.9
4. Patrick Mahomes, Texas Tech    182.0
5. Jerod Evans, Virginia Tech    176.1

• For his career, Terrell has a career QB efficiency rating of 154.8, ranking 10th nationally. Below are the career efficiency rankings of QBs across the country.

Quarterback, School    Career Efficiency
1. Baker Mayfield, Oklahoma    173.5
1  Seth Russell, Baylor    171.2
3. J.T. Barrett, Ohio State    161.4
4. Deshaun Watson, Clemson    159.3
5. Mitch Trubisky, North Carolina    158.9
6. Logan Woodside, Toledo    158.7
7. Jake Browning, Washington    158.0
8. Chad Kelley, Ole Miss    157.9
9. Patrick Mahomes, Texas Tech    156.0
10. Zach Terrell, Western Michigan    154.8

Best in the Program
• Terrell has also made his mark in Western Michigan history, becoming one of the most decordated Bronco QBs.

• He is atop nearly every career QB record. Here is where he stands at WMU across multiple categories.

Career Completion Percentage
1.    .647    Zach Terrell, 2013-current
2.    .633    Alex Carder, 2009-12
3.    .629    Tim Hiller, 2005, 2007-09

Career Passing TDs
1.    99    Tim Hiller, 2005, 2007-09 
2.    87    Tim Lester, 1996-99
3.    78    Zach Terrell, 2013-current
4.    74    Alex Carder, 2009-12

Career Passing Yards
1.    11,329    Tim Hiller, 2005, 2007-09
2.    11,299    Tim Lester, 1996-99
3.    9,961    Zach Terrell, 2013-current
4.    8,886    Alex Carder, 2009-12
5.    8,717      Brad Tayles, 1989-92

Career Completions
1.    1,013    Tim Hiller, 2005, 2007-09
2.    875    Tim Lester, 1996-99
3.    769    Alex Carder, 2009-12
4.    746    Zach Terrell, 2013-current
5.    663       Brad Tayles, 1989-92

Setting a New Standard
• Linebacker Robert Spillane has set a new career-high in tackles and interceptions this season, with 11 tackles in three of the team's first six games (Illinois, Georgia Southern, Northern Illinois).

• Twice this year, Spillane has come away with interceptions, at Illinois and at home vs. Northern Illinois.

• His stats have had him named MAC West Defensive Player of the Week twice this season, following his forced fumble at Northwestern and at Illinois.

• For the season he leads the Broncos with 54 tackles, including 3.5 tackles for loss, 1.0 sack and the two aforementioned interceptions.

New Kids on the Block
• The last four seasons have seen a Western Michigan freshman earn MAC Freshman of the Year.

• Last year redshirt freshman Jamauri Bogan put his name on a prestigious list of Broncos to capture the first-year award. Below are the last four MAC Freshmen of the Year

Year    Player, Position
2012    Jamie Wilson, WR
2013    Corey Davis, WR
2014    Jarvion Franklin, RB
2015    Jamauri Bogan, RB

Running to Daylight
• Western Michigan's running game has stood out amongst the entire country the last two seasons. 

• In 2014 Jarvion Franklin took the country by storm with 1,550+ yards and 24 touchdowns en route to earning the MAC Offensive Player of the Year Award and Freshman All-American. His 24 TDs are the third most in a single season in the MAC.

• Last season, Jamauri Bogan made his way into the record book, splitting carries with Franklin and racked up over 1,000 yards and 16 TDs himself. He began the season with another 100+ yard game at Northwestern, finishing with 103 yards on 22 carries.

• In the Popeyes Bahamas Bowl, Bogan ran for 216 yards and four TDs as he was named the Offensive MVP of the game.

• Franklin and Bogan's performance marked the first time since 2008-09 that the Broncos have seen 1,000 yard rushers in back-to-back seasons.

• Below are some of the rusing records Franklin and Bogan have set at Western Michigan.

Single Season Rushing TDs
1.    24    Jarvion Franklin, 2014
2.    19    Jerome Persell, 1976
3.    18    Robert Sanford, 2000
4.    16    Jamauri Bogan, 2015

Career Rushing TDs
1.    39    Jerome Persell 1976-78 
2.    34    Jarvion Franklin, 2014-current
3.    30    Robert Sanford, 1997-00
4.    25    Brandon West, 2006-09
    25    Larry Cates, 1971-73
6.    23    Jim Vackaro, 1992-95
    23    Albert Little, 1976-79
8.    22    Roger Lawson, 1969-71
9.    21    Phillip Reed, 2000-03
    21    Jamauri Bogan, 2015-current