Football | October 02, 2019

Western Michigan (3-2, 1-0 MAC) at Toledo (3-1, 0-0 MAC)

Glass Bowl (26,244) • Toledo, Ohio
Saturday, Oct. 5, 2019 • 3:30 p.m.
Live Stream: ESPN+
Radio: Bronco Radio Network

Complete Game Notes (PDF)

Coach Lester & A.J. Thomas Press Conference | Watch Replay

Bronco Review Radio Show | Listen to Replay

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

• Western Michigan opens October with a Saturday trip to Toledo ... The Broncos' third road game of the season is set for a 3:30 p.m. kickoff on ESPN+
•  Toledo leads the all-time series 43-30 with the two preparing for their 74th meeting on Saturday ... A year ago in Kalamazoo, the Rockets earned a 51-24 victory on October 25
•  Last weekend, Western Michigan opened the Mid-American Conference season with a 31-15 victory against Central Michigan, retaining the Battle for the Cannon trophy for the second consecutive season
•  WMU has won its MAC opener for five consecutive seasons and is looking for its fifth-straight season capturing its first two league games ... The last time the Broncos were not 2-0 in MAC play was when they began league play with a 20-19 OT loss to Toledo on October 4, 2014
• The Broncos are 5-2 (.714) in October since head coach Tim Lester took over the program in 2017, including a 4-0 road record during the month
• Western Michigan is aiming for its first road win of the campaign, and first road victory since topping Central Michigan 35-10 on October 20, 2018
• WMU has the ground game rolling, scoring 13 rushing touchdowns in the last three weeks
• The Broncos have outscored their five opponents by a combined score of 111-72 in the first half this season ... WMU is also outscoring foes 55-26 in third quarters this fall

WESTERN MICHIGAN vs. TOLEDO

• The Broncos and Rockets will meet for the 74th time in program history on Saturday with Toledo owning a 43-30 advantage in the all-time series.
• The two first met in 1939, with Toledo posting a 6-0 victory.
• WMU is 2-2 against Toledo over the last four seasons, including a 35-30 victory over the 24th-ranked Rockets on November 27, 2015. 
• The ranked win is the one in Western Michigan program history. 

Series vs. Toledo: Toledo leads 43-30
Series Streak: Toledo won 2
Last Meeting: 2018 (Toledo, 51-24)
Last Western Michigan Win: 2016

LIVE STREAMING

• ESPN+ will stream the game. Doug Sherman (play-by-play) and Tyoke Jackson (analyst) will call the game
• ESPN+ is a stand-alone streaming service inside the ESPN app. To watch ESPN+ content on your TV, it must be done through the ESPN app, which is available on Apple TV, Android TV, Fire TV and Roku. The service is available for $4.99/month or $49.99/year

GAME NOTE NUGGETS

• An offensive force, Western Michigan enters the weekend leading the MAC in scoring offense (37.2 points/game), total offense (498.6 yards/game) and pass efficiency (159.3) while standing second in passing offense (299.4 yards/game) and third in rushing offense (199.2 yards/game)
• Senior RB LeVante Bellamy has rushed for 462 yards in the last three games after totaling 97 ground yards through the first two games of the season ... Bellamy enters the weekend as the MAC's second-leading rusher with 111.8 yards per game after finishing the 2018 season second in the league with 94.5 yards per tilt ... Bellamy is also tied for second nationally in rushes of 30+ yards with five and in rushes of 40+ yards with four
• Senior TE Giovanni Ricci owns a career-high five receiving scores this season. He had three receiving TDs in his career entering 2019. He also owns 350 receiving yards, the most in the MAC and 47th most nationally. Among FBS tight ends, Ricci is tied for the lead with his five receiving scores.

Game Note (in case you didn't know)

Giovanni Ricci -> hard to tackle.#LetsRide
CBS Sports Network | https://t.co/hRnnTHBQF9 pic.twitter.com/2P4kdlLPRz

— WMU Football (@WMU_Football) September 28, 2019

• Freshman RB Sean Tyler, who broke out with 138 yards and two rushing touchdowns against Georgia State, has at least one ground score in three consecutive games. Among MAC freshmen, Tyler owns the most rushing touchdowns. 
• Western Michigan's defense has been in the turnover creating groove in the last four games, creating at least two turnovers in each contest. The Broncos rank tied for 12th in the country with their five fumbles recovered and tied for 13th with 10 turnovers gained so far this season. Western Michigan already has five interceptions, tied for the 25th most nationally, after finishing the 2018 campaign with nine total.

3 Career INT's....2 against CMU for @j_tranquill1 #LetsRide
CBS Sports Network | https://t.co/hRnnTHBQF9 pic.twitter.com/zt7YLQJ1Gv

— WMU Football (@WMU_Football) September 28, 2019

 

@j_tranquill1 with another pick!! Let's go @WMU_Football ????????

— Drue Tranquill (@DTranquill) September 28, 2019

• Junior LB Treshaun Hayward has turned in five consecutive strong performances in the middle for the Broncos. The Ypsilanti, Mich., native owns a team-high 54 tackles, the second most in the MAC.
• After leading all MAC underclassmen in TFL in 2018, junior DE Ali Fayad picked up his 2019 pace against Georgia State with a career-high 2.5 tackles for loss, including his first sack of the season. He added another sack versus Central Michigan on the Chips last offensive play. This year, Fayad ranks tied for ninth in the MAC with 4.5 tackles for lost yards and tied for ninth with his 2.0 sacks. Fayad has caused a career-high three fumbles to tie for the league lead and tie for second nationally, one behind Utah State's David Woodward. 

#LetsRide