Game Stats
Post-Game Notes
Post-Game Quotes
ANN ARBOR, Mich. - Western Michigan football opened the 2009 season with a 31-7 loss at the hands of the University of Michigan. The Broncos played in front of a Michigan Stadium crowd of 109,019, the second largest in WMU football history. Juan Nunez registered a career-high 151 yards receiving against the Wolverines.
The Broncos struggled to gain ground and yards throughout the first half, compiling one first down in the opening quarter before racking up four on their final drive of the second. Western Michigan, trailing 31-0, took over with 3:10 remaining at its own 20-yard line. Three-straight completions moved the ball to the 39-yard line, followed by Tim Hiller to Nunez and Ansel Ponder connections of 10 and 13 yards, respectively to get to Michigan's 17-yard line.
Brandon West, who finished with 41 yards on the ground, lost two on the next play and Hiller was sacked two plays later to set up a 44-yard John Potter field goal attempt that had the distance but sailed wide left.
Western Michigan's only scoring drive came in the fourth quarter, going for 85 yards on just four plays. Hiller found Nunez behind the defense on a post route for the 73-yard score. It was the longest scoring reception of Nunez's career and Hiller's 77th career TD pass. The senior finished with 259 yards that touchdown and two interceptions - one on a ball that ricocheted off a receiver's arms and another on a ball that slipped out of his hands.
Austin Pritchard led the defense with 11 total tackles and a forced fumble on Saturday. Doug Wiggins recorded nine stops, while Deauntay Legrier add seven to go along with a tackle for loss. Cody Cielenski and Justin Braska also added a TFL and Keith Dixson broke up a pass on a deep sideline route for the Wolverines.
Sophomore Deshon Lawrence stopped a potential Michigan scoring drive, recording the first interception of his career on a jumped route in the end zone. Ben Armer punted the ball six times with a long of 44 yards. Offensively, Robert Arnheim set new single-game career marks with seven grabs for 48 yards.
Michigan scored on its opening drive when Tate Forcier found Junior Hemingway on a stop and go route from 28 yards out. Denard Robinson scored on his first collegiate snap on a 43-yard scamper to give the home team a 14-0 lead with just under four minutes left in the opening quarter.
Forcier, who finished with 179 yards passing and three passing TDs hooked up with Kevin Koger on a seven-yard score and then Hemingway again down the far sideline for a 44-yard score. Jason Olesnavage added a 44-yard field goal at the 7:34 mark of the second quarter.
Western Michigan will have another crack at a Big Ten opponent on Saturday, Sept. 12 when the Broncos travel to Bloomington, Ind., to take on the Hoosiers. The game, which kicks off at 12 p.m., will be carried, as always, on the Bronco Radio Network and will air live on the Big Ten Network.
