KALAMAZOO, Mich. (AP) -- Ryan Cubit passed for 262 yards and three touchdowns, leading Western Michigan to its first win in more than a year, 34-28, over Southern Illinois.
The Broncos (1-2) overcame an 11-point deficit to defeat the top-ranked Division I-AA Salukis (2-1), who had scored three times in the first half, beginning with a 79-yard interception return by Brad Brachear.
Two touchdowns catches by WMU's Greg Jennings, his 26th and 27th career TD receptions that put him within one of the school record, helped the Broncos snap a 13-game losing streak dating back to last year. Jennings caught nine passes for 109 yards.
SIU quarterback Joel Sambursky, already the school's career leader in passing (5,877 yards), threw for 241 yards and two touchdowns. His 58-yard scoring pass to Brent Little in the second quarter was the Salukis' longest offensive play of the season. Little caught seven passes for a season-high 152 yards.
WMU's Trovon Riley ran for 156 yards and one touchdown on 30 carries. His five-yard scoring run with 1:27 left in the second quarter began a run of three WMU TDs that finished with a 19-yard scoring catch by Jennings and a 31-21 WMU lead.
Arkee Whitlock of SIU rushed for 115 yards and had 63 yards in kickoff returns, not including a 91-yard return for a touchdown that was called back due to an illegal block.
NOTES
Western Michigan:
- Former walk-on linebacker Dustin Duclo intercepted two passes. They were the team's fourth and fifth interceptions of the year and the first of his career.
- Greg Jennings extended his receptions streak to 26 games. He also surpassed the 100-yard receiving mark for the 13th time in his career.
- Jim Laney booted a career-long 59-yard punt in the third quarter
Southern Illinois:
- SIU entered the contest ranked No. 1 in Division I-AA
- The Salukis are now 1-20 all-time versus I-A opponents. Their last three losses to MAC opponents have been by six points or less.
- Arkee Whitlock rushed for 115 yards on 20 carries and contributed 63 yards on four kickoff returns
QUOTES
Jerry Kill, SIU: "It's disappointing. We had a chance to win this game and we didn't. Our kids played hard and they never quit."
"On the final drive, I have no doubt we could win the game. It was a bad call on my part. I am not going to blame my quarterback. I need to do a better job of coaching and we can learn from this as we move on to conference play."
"We know that (Trovon) Riley is a good player. We didn't have any film on him because this was his first game. We knew what to expect from (Greg) Jennings. We just weren't aware of how much of a difference Riley would make. He was the difference in the this game. If he wasn't playing, we win."
Bill Cubit, WMU: "We lost a lot of players early, but we continued to play hard and the defense made some big plays."
"We lost two linebackers right in the beginning of the game, causing us to go to our bench. Our redshirt (defenders) truly went through a baptism by fire."
"We learned a big lesson about how to prepare during the week. I'm so happy for the players, to have the monkey off their backs. It's nice to walk into the locker room and see so many smiles."
"The play of (Dustin) Duclo, getting two interceptions at key moments, was huge. This kid has really come on, originally coming to this team as a walk-on."
"The amount of penalties we had tonight was ridiculous, we can't do that and expect to be successful. But the types of penalties we had tonight are the types that can be corrected easily."
