Box Score

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Traveling to Bloomington, Ind., is fast becoming something Western Michigan football does not enjoy as the Broncos dropped their season opener to Indiana, 39-20, Saturday at Memorial Stadium.  It marked the third time in as many meetings the Hoosiers have put an ?L' in WMU's win/loss column over the life of the series.

Western Michigan and Indiana went toe-to-toe with each other over the first 15 minutes of both teams' season opener.  The Hoosiers had the slight edge in yardage, 86 to the Broncos' 46, and on the scoreboard, leading, 7-3.

Indiana struck on its opening drive when Blake Powers hit Andrew Means from 10 yards out to cap a seven-play, 73-yard drive that lasted 3:29.  The drive was sparked by a Powers to James Hardy, the Hoosiers' six-foot-seven sophomore wide out, completion down the sideline for 34 yards.

Western Michigan was held without on its first drive but received a gift on its second when IU punter Tyson Beattie had a punt that went only 12 yards.  The worst part of it was the Hoosiers were backed up at their own one-yard line at the time, giving the ball to the Broncos at the IU 13-yard line.

WMU managed a 28-yard field goal by Nate Meyer on the drive.  Meyer would add another field goal of the same length at the other end of the field late in the second quarter.

The second quarter was a troublesome one for the Bronco faithful.  Western Michigan turned the ball over three times in the frame.  The first was an interception that was returned 66 yards for a score by Chris Phillips.  The pick-six gave Indiana a 14-3 lead with less than four minutes gone in the second quarter.  Ryan Cubit fumbled on WMU's next possession only to get the ball back on the next play.  Louis Delmas registered his fourth-career pick when he out-jumped the IU receivers in the end zone for the interception.

Unfortunately, the Hoosier defense recorded a second interception on the ensuing possession.  The takeaway led to another IU score when Josiah Sears busted over the goal line from two yards out, giving Indiana a 20-3 lead at the 6:51 mark of the second quarter.

Two bright spots for the Broncos during the second half were Jamarko Simmons and true freshman, Brandon West.  Simmons led the offense with seven receptions for 99 yards, both which are career highs.  Simmons' previous high receptions mark was four against Kent State (Oct. 29, 2005).  His previous yardage high was 32 on a pair of catches at Toledo (Sept. 10, 2005).

West jump started the Bronco offense the first time he touched the ball.  West, a native of Brunswick, Ga., hauled in a kick off after IU's initial score and raced 27 yards from the goal line to start WMU's offensive day.  The next time he touched the ball, the beginning was similar, from the goal line, but the result was much different.  West raced 44 yards to the WMU 44-yard line, putting his team in excellent field position.

The Broncos did gain an advantage on the stat sheet during the second quarter, out-gaining their opponent 129 to 73, sparked primarily by the Cubit to Simmons connection.  Simmons had 81 of his 99 first half yards in the second frame.

Western Michigan received the ball to start the second half but could not mount a drive.  The punt from Jim Laney was returned by Tracy Porter 86 yards for an IU touchdown.  The Hoosiers added a field goal later in the third quarter to build a 29-6 lead.

Western Michigan scored its first touchdown of the season with 2:34 remaining in the third quarter when Mark Bonds rambled in from 17 yards out.  The one-play drive occurred because Matt Ludeman recovered an IU fumble deep in Hoosier territory, setting up Bonds' fifth career touchdown and pulling the Broncos closer, 29-13.

Indiana sealed its home opening victory when back up quarterback Graeme McFarland found Marcus Thigpen in the back of the end zone to cap a six-play, 69-yard drive and take a 36-13 advantage on the first play of the fourth quarter.

The Broncos added a late score in the final minute of the game.  Thomas Peregrin found Nic Saad near the goal line and the newly converted fullback reached and found the pylon for the score.

Western Michigan has no time to look back at this loss because directly in front of the Broncos is the University of Toledo Rockets.  WMU will host its Mid-American Conference West Division rival at Waldo Stadium on CommUniverCity Night on Sept. 9.  The home season opener for WMU kicks off at 7 p.m.

WMU Notes

• Wide receiver Chris Maragos making collegiate debut against Hoosiers
• True freshman walk-ons Matt Buskirk and Tom Harrington made debut as linebacker and long snapper, respectively
• First meeting with opponent from Big Ten since 2004 (at Illinois ? L, 30-27)
• Ryan Cubit sees first action since suffering season-ending injury at Temple (W, 19-16) on Sept. 24, 2005
• Jamarko Simmons sets career highs in receptions (seven) and yards (99)