Football | October 06, 2016

• Western Michigan is ranked inside the top-25 in the USA Today Amway Coaches Poll. It is the first time in program history the Broncos have been ranked in either the Coaches Poll or the Associated Press Poll. The team is currently No. 26 in the AP poll with 76 votes.


• Western Michigan begins the season 5-0 for the first time since 1994. The Broncos defeated Central Michigan 49-10 last Saturday. It marked the largest margin of victory over the Chippewas since beating them 41-0 in 1970 in Mount Pleasant.


• Western Michigan is looking for its first 6-0 start since 1941 when it finished the year 8-0. 


• 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 4,252 yards, a title he ended the 2015 season with. He is currently the all-time MAC receiving record and 753 yards away from the all-time FBS receiving record. Davis had six catches for 72 yards and 2 TDs against Central Michigan, giving him 39 touchdowns for his career, tying him with Greg Jennings for the Western Michigan career TD record.


• Head coach P.J. Fleck faces his former school on Saturday. Fleck graduated from Northern Illinois in 2003, after playing wide receiver from 1999-03 and was an assistant coach for the Huskies from 2007-09.


• In the offseason, Western Michigan claimed its third straight No. 1 recruiting class in the MAC. The class was ranked No. 48 nationally, the best among all Group of 5 schools. according to Scout.com.

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

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

• Western Michigan's streak is also the fourth-longest active win streak in the country. Below are the top-5 active win streaks in the country.

School        Current Win Streak
1.     Alabama        17
2.     Washington    8
    Houston        8
4.    Western Michigan    7
    Ohio State    7
    Tennessee    7

Creating Chaos
• Western Michigan created chaos around CMU QB Cooper Rush last Saturday, 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 17 sacks, equaling 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 21 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
4.    2014-16    21
    1988-90    21
       1970-72    21

Hog the Ball
• Western Michigan had one streak come to an end the last two weeks, after falling in the time of possession battle the last two games, snapping a streak of 16 games in which the Broncos had won the time of possession.

• This year Western Michigan is still among the top teams in the country in possessing the ball, averaging 33:12, good for 20th 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 Central Michigan, Western Michigan was +2 in the turnover column.

• For the year, the Broncos are +9 in turnover margin, good for third in the country.

Explosive Offense
• Western Michigan has piled on the points in the first five games, totaling 224.

• The 224 points includes a 70-point explosion against NCCU which was the most points scored by the Broncos since 1996.

• The 224 point total is the most by a WMU team through its first five games since 1916 when the team scored 313, also the program record for most through five games.

• This year's average of 44.8 points per game is the second most in the MAC and ninth 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 247.0 yards on the ground through five games, good for 17th 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 in the last two weeks, beginning with a 70-yard return vs. Georgia Southern before taking back an 85-yard interception vs. Central Michigan last week. 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-American 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 9,618

Career Passing Yards
1.    Cooper Rush, CMU    10,713
2.    Nick Mullens, So. Miss    10,226
3.    Zach Terrell, WMU    9,618
4.    Dane Evans, Tulsa    9,212
5.    Phillip Walker, Temple    8,344

Deadly Accurate
• In addition to throwing for many yards, Terrell is also one of the most accurate QBs with a career completion percentage of 64.5, good for sixth among active QBs. Below are the top 10.

Career Completion Percentage
1.    Luke Falk, Washington State    69.2
2.    Greg Ward Jr., Houston    67.8
3.    Deshaun Watson, Clemson    66.3
4.    Brent Stockstill, Middle Tenn.    65.2
5.    Brandon Silvers, Troy    65.0
6.    Zach Terrell, Western Michigan    64.5
7.    Patrick Mahomes, Texas Tech    63.9
8.    Sefo Liufau, Colorado    63.5
9.    Cooper Rush, Central Michigan    62.8
10.    Tyler Jones, Texas State    62.5

Doing it Efficiently
• Quarterback Zach Terrell is one of the most efficient QBs in the country this season, ranking seventh in 2016 with a passer efficiency rating of 178.1

• For his career, Terrell has a career QB efficiency rating of 153.2, ranking 10th nationally. Below are the rankings of QBs across the country.

Quarterback, School    Efficiency
1. Baker Mayfield, Oklahoma    172.1
1  Seth Russell, Baylor    171.2
3. J.T. Barrett, Ohio State    164.2
4. Deshone Kizer, Notre Dame    157.9
5. Chad Kelley, Ole Miss    157.9
6. Deshaun Watson, Clemson    157.9
7. Patrick Mahomes, Texas Tech    156.6
8. Logan Woodside, Toledo    156.5
9. Jake Browning, Washington    153.2
10. Zach Terrell, Western Michigan    153.2

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.    .645    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.    75    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.    9,448    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.    728    Zach Terrell, 2013-current
5.    663       Brad Tayles, 1989-92

Setting Records Off the Field
• Aside from setting a new standard on the field in 2015, the Broncos also set a new standard in the classroom with a record team GPA of 2.93.

• The Broncos also saw 12 student-athletes named to the Academic All-MAC team with four also earning the Distinguished Scholar Athlete award.

• Players who were named to the Academic All-MAC team include Lucas Bezerra, Kasey Carson, Lucas Cherocci, David Curle Kristof Ifkovits, Derrick Mitchell, Taylor Moton, Alec Moulton, Zach Novoselsky, J. Schroeder, Trevor Sweeney, Zach Terrell. 

• Bezerra, Mitchell, Sweeney and Terrell were Distinguished Scholar Athletes.

Quirky Stat
• Junior Caleb Bailey was among the best linebackers in the MAC last season, ranking fourth in the league with 12.5 tackles for loss.

• Despite ranking fourth with 12.5 tackles for loss, none of those were sacks as Bailey picked up the first sack of his career on Sept. 3 at Northwestern and had the second of his career vs. NCCU.

Setting a New Standard
• Linebacker Robert Spillane set a new career-high with 11 tackles at Illinois including his first career interception. 

• Following the game, he was named the MAC Defensive Player of the Week for the second time this season. 

• Spillane followed it up with another 11 tackles against Georgia Southern, matching the personal-best set the week before. 

• Spillane leads the Broncos with 36 tackles this season. 

Nose for the End Zone
• Senior wide receiver Carrington Thompson has seen his role increase this season.

• Thompson set his career-high with three receptions at Illinois and has 10 catches for 150 yards this year, after totaling eight catches for 89 yards last season.

• Thompson has a high ratio of receptions to TDs as he has recorded four TDs on just 18 career receptions, including one against Georgia Southern to tie last season's output of two TDs.

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.    33    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