Football | September 14, 2016

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• Western Michigan begins the season 2-0 for the first time since 1994. The Broncos defeated North Carolina Central 70-21 last Saturday, marking the most points the team has scored in any game since putting up 76 in the 1996 season finale.
• A win over Illinois would give 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. The Broncos last beat Illinois in 2008, 23-17 in Detroit.
• Western Michigan is looking for its first 3-0 start since 1994 when it began the year 5-0. 
• Wide receiver Corey Davis is currently the active leading receiver in the FBS with 4,005 yards a title he ended the 2015 season with. He is currently 186 yards away from the all-time MAC receiving record and 1,000 yards away from the all-time FBS receiving record. Davis had seven catches for 150 yards and three TDs in the home opener vs NC Central. 
• This summer the Broncos were picked to win the MAC by both the media and the coaches for the first time since 2007.
• Cornerback Darius Phillips made his mark as a punt returner for the first time in his career. After earning All-American honors as a kick returner in 2014, Phillips fielded his first punts on Saturday 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.
• 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.

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 on Saturday, the Broncos have 18 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.     1988-90    21
       1970-72    21
--    2014-16    18

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. 

• This year Western Michigan are off to another strong start, possessing the ball for over 39 minutes against Northwestern and 34 minutes in week 2 to extend its streak of winning the time of possesion battle to 15 games. 

Find a Way
• Western Michigan had its hands full with Northwestern's defense which was 13th in the country last season. 

• The Broncos outgained the Wildcats by nearly 100 yards (416-319).

• For Northwestern, surrendering 400 yards to an opponent was a rarity, giving up 400+ yards just twice in 13 games last season.

Winning With Defense
• Western Michigan has shown improvement on defense to begin the year.

• The Broncos scored just 22 points vs. Northwestern and were held to 416 yards, nearly 80 yards below their season average from a year ago.

• However, defensively, Western Michigan held Northwestern to 319 yards, the third lowest total dating back to the start of 2015.

• The Broncos win marked the first time in 19 tries under Coach Fleck's tenure that they won when scoring fewer than 25 points. When scoring 25 or more points, WMU is 17-3 the last three-plus seasons.

• Against NC Central, the Broncos held the Eagles to just 34 total yards and no points in the second half.

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.

• This year the Broncos have improved on the rushing attack, averaging 278.5 yards on the ground through two games, good for 13th in the country. 

• Overall the Broncos rank 20th nationally with 515.0 total 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.

Record Setting Attack Part 2
• Western Michigan followed up its performance vs. Ball State last year with another 600+ yard performance against North Carolina Central, racking up 614 total yards of offense.

• The Broncos scored 70 points against the Eagles, the most since 1996.

• Eight different Broncos scored a touchdown and Corey Davis had three. Earning his first career TD was running back Davon Tucker.

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

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 last week vs. NCCU.

Conference Recognition
• Linebacker Robert Spillane was named the MAC West Defensive Player of the Week for his performance against Northwestern on Sept. 3. 

• Spillane had seven tackles, along with a sack. With three minutes to go and the Broncos against their own goal line, Spillane was able to force a fumble to help preserve the win.

• He followed it up with 6.5 tackles to lead the team against North Carolina Central.

Nose for the End Zone
• Senior wide receiver Carrington Thompson has seen his role increase this season, starting each of the first two games.

• Thompson has two catches in each game, including a 26-yard TD vs. NC Central.

• Thompson has a high ratio of receptions to TDs as he has recorded three TDs on just 12 career receptions.

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

• Terrell has a career QB efficiency rating of 151.2, ranking ninth nationally. Below are the rankings of QBs across the country.

Quarterback, School    Efficiency
1. Baker Mayfield, Oklahoma    175.6
1  Seth Russell, Baylor    171.3
3. J.T. Barrett, Ohio State    162.0
4. Deshaun Watson, Clemson    157.2
5. Chad Kelley, Ole Miss    155.8
6. Deshone Kizer, Notre Dame    155.1
7..Patrick Mahomes, Texas Tech    152.6
8. Brent Stockstill, Middle Tenn.    151.4
9. Zach Terrell, Western Michigan    151.2
10. Gunner Kiel, Cincinnati    150.5

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.    .641    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.    68    Zach Terrell, 2013-current

Career Passing Yards
1.    11,329    Tim Hiller, 2005, 2007-09
2.    11,299    Tim Lester, 1996-99
3.    9,044    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.    671    Zach Terrell, 2013-current
5.    663       Brad Tayles, 1989-92

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

Perfectly Balanced
• The third back in the Bronco backfield rotation is LeVante Bellamy the fastest of them all. 

• Bellamy had 493 yards last year to complement Bogan and Franklin and has reprised that role this year.

• On Saturday vs. NC Central each got a near identical workload with Bogan, Franklin and Bellamy receiving 17, 17 and 16 carries respectively.

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.

• Mitchell has added eight more touchbacks on kickoffs this season giving him 44 for his career.

• 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.