Football | October 23, 2019
Bowling Green (2-5, 1-2 MAC) at Western Michigan (4-4, 2-2 MAC)
Waldo Stadium (30,200) • Kalamazoo, Mich.
Saturday, Oct. 26, 2019 • 12 noon
Live Stream: ESPN3
Radio: Bronco Radio Network
Complete Game Notes (PDF)
Coach Lester & LeVante Bellamy Press Conference | Watch Replay
Bronco Review Radio Show | Listen to Replay
Bronco Updates | Listen to Replays
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
• Western Michigan enters the final third of the regular season with just four games remaining, including two at home ... The Broncos will celebrate Salute to Heroes and Senior Day on Saturday
• Last Saturday, WMU visited Eastern Michigan and suffered a 34-27 loss ... The Falcons hosted Central Michigan and fell by a 38-20 final
• This week, Western Michigan will recognize 22 student-athletes prior to kickoff as part of the Senior Day ceremony: K Michael Arenberg, DE Antonio Balabani, RB LeVante Bellamy, S Stefan Claiborne, LB Najee Clayton, DE Timothy Collins, CB Anton Curtis, WR/CB D'Wayne Eskridge, LB Alex Grace, C Luke Juriga, C Alex Keys, LB Joseph Miller, WR Keith Mixon Jr., WR Alex Mussat, TE Giovanni Ricci, LB Drake Spears, OG Jonathan Todd, S Justin Tranquill, S Andrew Trost, RB Davon Tucker, QB Jon Wassink and DT Jamal Williams
• This year's senior class owns 30 victories, the fourth most in program history and five shy of the 2017 group for the most in program history
• The Broncos and Falcons will meet for the 55th time in program history Saturday with Bowling Green leading the all-time series 32-19-3 ... WMU has won four of the last five, dating back to 2005 ... WMU head coach Tim Lester is 4-0 in his career versus the Falcons, winning three times as the Bronco quarterback and earning a 42-35 victory on October 13, 2018
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WMU head coach Tim Lester takes on Bowling Green as the Broncos' starting quarterback.
WESTERN MICHIGAN vs. BOWLING GREEN
• The Broncos and Falcons will meet for the 55th time Saturday with Bowling Green leading the series, 32-19-3. WMU has won five of the last six in the series, dating back to 2005.
• Lester is 4-0 as a Bronco head coach or player against BGSU, winning three times as a quarterback and taking the 2018 meeting in his first as the head coach.
• Last year in Bowling Green, the Broncos picked up a 42-35 victory as the game was tied 28-28 entering the fourth quarter. The Falcons struck first in the final frame to go ahead 35-28, but a pair of Jamauri Bogan touchdown runs (seven and three yards), the last coming at 5:06, led WMU to the win.
Series vs. Bowling Green:Â Bowlling Green leads 32-19-3
Series Streak:Â Western Michigan won 1
Last Meeting:Â 2018 (Western Michigan, 42-35)
Last Western Michigan Win:Â 2018
LIVE STREAMING
• ESPN3 will stream the game on the WatchESPN app. Chris Vosters (play-by-play) and Marcus Ray (analyst) will call the game.
GAME NOTE NUGGETS
• The Broncos have lost four times this fall, but have not dropped consecutive contests. WMU has not lost two-straight games in a calendar year, since October 25-November 13, 2018.
• Since the MAC split into East and West divisions in 1997, Western Michigan has gone 45-18 (.714 winning percentage) against East Division foes. In the last two-plus seasons under Tim Lester, the Broncos have posted a 5-2 (.714 winning percentage) record versus the East Division, going 2-1 in 2017 and 2018 and starting 2019 at 1-0.
• Senior RB LeVante Bellamy has rushed for 877 yards (109.63 yards/game), the fourth most by a Bronco running back through the initial eight games since the 2000 season.
• Bellamy is second nationally in rushes of 30+ yards with eight and tied for the top spot in rushes of 40+ yards with five. The Indianapolis, Ind., product owns 13 rushing scores, tied for the seventh most in a single season in program history, and the fourth most nationally this fall.
• With his 135 rushing yards against Miami (Ohio), Bellamy became the eighth 3,000-yard rusher in WMU history and moved up to seventh on Saturday at Eastern Michigan. Bellamy has also broken into the Western Michigan career top five in rushing touchdowns with his powerful 2019 pushing his total to 25.
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• Senior TE
Giovanni Ricci owns a career-high six receiving scores, doubling his career total entering 2019. Ricci's 495 receiving yards are the second most in the MAC and tied for the 51st most nationally.Â
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• Senior QB
Jon Wassink's touchdown pass last Saturday has him at 45 for his career, tied for the sixth most in Western Michigan history. Wassink is also eighth on the Bronco career completions chart with 429.
• The Broncos enter the weekend having allowed 27.8 points per game to stand fourth in the Mid-American Conference. A year ago, Western Michigan ranked 10th in the league, surrendering nearly a touchdown more per contest at 34.5 points.
• Nationally, the Broncos rank tied for ninth with 15 turnovers gained. WMU is tied for 11th with its nine passes intercepted and tied for 23rd with its six fumbles recovered. Western Michigan already has nine interceptions after finishing the 2018 campaign with nine total.
• After leading all MAC underclassmen in tackles for lost yards in 2018, junior DE
Ali Fayad is causing havoc in 2019, ranking third in the MAC with 8.0 TFL. Fayad has at least 1.0 TFL in five of the last seven games, including a year-best 2.5 versus Georgia State and against Miami (Ohio). Fayad is tied for third in the MAC with 4.5 sacks.
• Junior LB
Treshaun Hayward has accumulated six games with 10 or more tackles, becoming the fifth Bronco since 2000 to have six or more such games in the same season.
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• Hayward is tied for ninth in the MAC with his 6.5 TFL and tied for 12th in the league with his 3.0 sacks.
• At Eastern Michigan,
Hayward booked 18 tackles, the most by a Bronco in a single game since
Asantay Brown's 22 versus Toledo on November 24, 2017.
#LetsRide
