Football | November 21, 2017

WESTERN MICHIGAN (6-5, 4-3 MAC)
at TOLEDO (9-2, 6-1 MAC)
Nov. 24, 2017 • Glass Bowl (26,038) • Toledo, Ohio
11:30 AM ET • ESPNU • 96.5 FM
All-Time Series: WMU trails 30-41


ESPNU TALENT:
Play by Play: Shawn Kenney    
Analyst: Rene Ingoglia

COACHING FACTS
WMU Head Coach: Tim Lester (Western Michigan, 2000)
Record at WMU: 6-5, 4-3 MAC (1st Season)
Overall record: 46-28 (7th season)

Head Coach: Jason Candle
Record at KSU: 19-6, 12-3 MAC (2nd Season)
Overall record: same


BRONCOS BOWL ELIGIBLE FOR FOURTH STRAIGHT SEASON
The Broncos 48-20 win over Kent State on Nov. 8 made the Broncos bowl eligible for a program-record fourth straight season. The Broncos have played in eight bowl games in their history, recording their first bowl win in the 2015 Popeye's Bahamas Bowl, defeating Middle Tennessee State, 45-31. Last year, WMU played in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic against Wisconsin, while in 2014 WMU faced off against Air Force in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl.

SERIES HISTORY
It will be the 72nd all-time meeting between Western Michigan and Toledo. The Broncos have won each of the last two meetings. Toledo leads the all-time series, 30-41. Last year in Kalamazoo the Broncos defeated the Rockets, 55-35. In the 2015 meeting, WMU knocked off UT (ranked No. 24 in the nation at the time) in Toledo, 35-30. It was WMU's first ever win over a top-25 ranked opponent.

Western Michigan enters the 2017 matchup in a similar situation as the 2015 game, coming off a loss at Northern Illinois and with a six-win record. The Broncos picked up their seventh win of the season at Toledo in 2015, which propelled WMU to the Popeyes Bahamas Bowl. The Broncos went on to defeat Middle Tennessee in the Bahamas for the program's first ever bowl win, finishing the year with an 8-5 record.

BRONCOS LOOKING TO BOUNCE BACK
WMU fell in a tight 35-31 contest at Northern Illinois this past Wednesday night and has six wins (6-5, 4-3 MAC) heading into the Nov. 24 meeting against the Rockets. A win would help bolster WMU's 2017 resume for a bowl bid. If the Broncos could beat Toledo and also pick up a bowl win this season, they could also match the 2014 and 2015 teams with 8-5 records.

WHAT'S AT STAKE FOR TOLEDO
Toledo leads the MAC with a 9-2 overall, 6-1 conference record and can lock up a MAC West title with a win over Western Michigan or with a Northern Illinois loss at Central Michigan.

OKORAFOR NAMED SEMIFINALIST FOR OUTLAND TROPHY
Western Michigan senior left tackle Chukwuma Okorafor was named a national semifinalist for the Outland Trophy, presented to the nation's top interior lineman. The other five semifinalists are Oklahoma offensive tackle Orlando Brown, Notre Dame offensive tackle Mike McGlinchey, Notre Dame offensive guard Quenton Nelson, Houston defensive tackle Ed Oliver and Ohio State center Billy Price. A three-year starter for the Broncos Okorafor has been ranked as the No. 4 offensive tackle by Mel Kiper Jr. going into the 2018 NFL Draft. The three finalists for the Outland Trophy will be revealed Tuesday, Nov. 21 at 6:30 PM on ESPNU.

FRANKLIN PASSES 1,000-YARD MARK, MOVES UP IN MAC RECORD BOOK
For the third time in four seasons, running back Jarvion Franklin has gone over 1,000 yards for the season, currently leading the MAC with 1,176. He has seven 100-yard rushing games this season, going for over 100 in the last six consecutive games. For his career, Franklin has 4,815 rushing yards with 22 games over 100 yards, three going over 200.

MAC HISTORY
Career Rushing TDs
1. 73, Travis Prentice (MIA), 1996-99
2. 55, Chester Taylor (UT), 1998-01
3. 53, Bernard Pierce (Temple), 2009-11
4. 52, Garrett Wolfe (NIU), 2004-06
    52, Jarvion Franklin (WMU), 2014-pres.

Career Rushing Yards
1. 5,596, Travis Prentice (MIA), 1996-99
2. 5,164, Garrett Wolfe (NIU), 2004-06
3. 4,945, Kareem Hunt (Toledo), 2013-16
4. 4,941, Michael Turner (NIU), 2000-03
5. 4,815, Jarvion Franklin (WMU), 2014-pres.

PHILLIPS' 5TH INT FOR TD TIES FBS RECORD
Senior cornerback Darius Phillips tied the all-time FBS record with his fifth career interception return for a touchdown in the Broncos' win over Kent State on Nov. 8. Already the FBS record holder for career runbacks, Phillips added to his overall total, as the 43-yard interception return marked his 12th career runback. In addition to the pick six, Phillips also forced a fumble, had two tackles, one pass break up and recorded 62 yards on three kickoff returns against KSU.

RECORDS FALL TO FRANKLIN
This season senior RB Jarvion Franklin has re-written the WMU record books. He broke Robert Sanford's school record of 4,219 career rushing yards at Eastern Michigan. Franklin currently has 4,815 career rushing yards. Sanford was teammates with WMU head coach Tim Lester. Against Central Michigan, Franklin broke Corey Davis' career overall touchdown record of 52. Franklin currently has 56 career TDs (52 rushing and 4 receiving). Franklin also holds the school record for career rushing touchdowns, single season rushing touchdowns (24, set in 2014), career attempts (927), and single-game rushing yards (281 vs. Akron, 2016).

ONE TOUCHDOWN AWAY
With his next touchdown Jarvion Franklin (336) will become the all-time leading scorer in WMU history, passing kicker Andrew Haldeman who amassed 337 points from 2012-15.

AMONG NCAA LEADERS
WMU is among the nation's leaders in several statistical categories.

1 - Fumbles Recovered (16)
2 - Defensive TDs (5)
5 - Turnovers Gained (25)
14 - Turnover Margin (+9)
22 - Scoring Offense (36.1)
23 - Rushing Offense (236.5)

• Sr. KR Darius Phillips - 4th kickoff return TDs (2), 4th kickoff return average (31.1), 32nd punt returns (8.0).
• Jr. DB Sam Beal - 17th passes defended (1.3)
• So. FS Stefan Claiborne - 2nd fumble recoveries (3)

QUICK LOOK AT TOLEDO
Toledo leads the MAC in total offense (510.3), is second in passing offense (289.8) and third in rushing offense (220.5). Senior QB Logan Woodside is Toledo's career passing yardage leader with 9,783 passing yards and 87 touchdowns, both of which are school records. Junior RB Terry Swanson is second in the MAC in rushing yards behind WMU's Jarvion Franklin. Swanson has 1,045 yards and 11 TDs. UT's lone MAC loss was a 38-10 defeat at Ohio. The Rockets' only other loss was at #14 Miami, 52-30, in non-conference play on Sept. 23.