Football | August 30, 2016

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. 

• The Broncos' 16 wins over the last two seasons are tied for the most over the course of two seasons in school history. Below are the most wins in a two-year span.

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

Most Balanced Offense Around
• 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.

• Overall the Broncos ranked 17th in total offensie with 490.3 yards per game.

Record Setting Attack
• In addition to ranking atop the national stat rankings, Western Michigan also set several of its own offensive records.

• The Broncos set program records for points scored (468), total yards (6,384) and tied the record for most touchdowns with 58.

• Against Ball State last year, the WMU set the single game record for total offense with 711 yards.

Hog the ball
• Western Michigan won the time of possession battle in all 13 games in 2015. 

• The Broncos averaged 34:33 minutes of possesion each game, trailing only Stanford in the FBS. Below is the top 5 in the FBS last season in time of possession.

School    Time of Possession
1  Stanford    34:48
2  Western Michigan       34:33
3  Arkansas       34:23
4  Ga. Southern       33:59
5  Wisconsin        33:51

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 and saw Phillips return a kick for a touchdown last season against Michigan State in the opening game of the year.

• 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

Unique Things on Way to History
• The end of the 2015 regular season marked the first win over a ranked opponent in program history as Western Michigan defeated No. 24 Toledo 35-30.

• The Broncos had a few first-time occurences en route to victory since the current coaching staff arrived in 2013.

• The win marked the first time since Sept. 22, 2012 against UConn, that the Broncos won when trailing in rushing as a team (201-148).

• In line with that stat, it was also the first time in 16 games the team won when allowing an individual to rush for over 100 yards.

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.
Doing it Efficiently
• Quarterback Zach Terrell ended 2015 as the seventh most efficent QB in the country with a mark of 162.3.

• Terrell had 29 touchdown compared to just nine interceptions and threw for over 3,500 yards. Below is where Terrell ended 2015.

Quarterback, School    Efficiency
1  Vernon Adams, Oregon    179.1
2. Brandon Doughty, W. Ky.    176.5
3. Baker Mayfield, Oklahoma    173.3
4. Kevin Hogan, Stanford    171.0
5. Brandon Allen, Arkansas    166.5
6. Matt Johnson, BGSU    164.2
7. Zach Terrell, Western Michigan    162.3

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.    .639    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.    74    Alex Carder, 2009-12
4.    61    Zach Terrell, 2013-current

Career Passing Yards
1.    11,329    Tim Hiller, 2005, 2007-09
2.    11,299    Tim Lester, 1996-99
3.    8,886    Alex Carder, 2009-12
4.    8,717      Brad Tayles, 1989-92
5.    8,571    Zach Terrell, 2013-current

Career Completions
1.    1,013    Tim Hiller, 2005, 2007-09
2.    875    Tim Lester, 1996-99
3.    769    Alex Carder, 2009-12
4.    663       Brad Tayles, 1989-92
5.    645    Zach Terrell, 2013-current

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.

• 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.    30    Robert Sanford, 1997-00
3.    29    Jarvion Franklin, 2014-current

OLine Chemistry
• Western Michigan finished last season with the 29th best rushing attack in the country, thanks to the offensive line.

• This year the Broncos return four of five starters from last year's line, with the only one not returning being Willie Beavers, who was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the fourth round in May.

• This year's group is led by Taylor Moton a three-year starter who has been nominated as an Outland Trophy Watch List member.

• As a group, the Broncos have 76 career starts returning on the offensive line, fourth most in the MAC.

LB U
• The Western Michigan linebacking crew is made up of players who have all stood out at different times in their career.

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

• Fellow junior Robert Spillane was having an all-conference type year, earning MAC Defensive Player of the Week against Miami (OH) before suffering a season-ending injury the next week against Eastern Michigan.

• This season will see a new face join the crew as another junior, Asantay Brown comes down from safety to play in the front seven. Last season Brown led the Broncos with 103 tackles and also had 3.0 tackles for loss, 2 interceptions and a sack. 

Making the Most of his Transition
• Defensive back Darius Phillips has made a name for himself around the country due to his aforementioned kick return TDs.

• When Phillips isn't returning kicks, he has been making plays on both sides of the ball, playing as a receiver on offense as a freshman in 2014 before moving to defensive back last season.

• In his first season as a DB, Phillips ranked sixth in the country in passes defended with 20. He had five interceptions to go with 15 pass breakups.

• It marked the second straight year the Broncos had players atop the FBS leaderboard in passes defended after WMU teammates Donald Celiscar and Ronald Zamort tied for the NCAA Statistical Championship in 2014 with 1.6 per game.

Player, School    Passes Defended
1  William Jackson, Houston    2.2
2. Rashard Fant, Indiana    1.8
3. Shawun Lurry, No. Illinois    1.7
4. Jordan Lewis, Michigan    1.7
5. Boise Ross, Buffalo    1.7
6. Darius Phillips Western Michigan    1.6

Former Phillies Make Early Impact
• Western Michigan features two sophomores who were drafted by MLB teams before deciding to play football in punter Derrick Mitchell and quarterback Tom Flacco.

• Mitchell, was drafted in 2005 and played for the Philadelphia Phillies organization for 10 years before coming to Western Michigan in 2014.

• Last season, Mitchell primarily handed kickoffs and tied the school record for touchbacks on a kickoff with 36.

• Flacco, the brother of NFL QB Joe Flacco, was also drafted by the Phillies organization, in 2014, but decided to play football rather than pursue baseball.

• As a true freshman, Flacco backed up Zach Terrell last season and provided a different element with his running ability as he rushed for 60 yards in the team's 35-30 win over No. 24 Toledo.