Football | December 08, 2019

KALAMAZOO, Mich. – Western Michigan University will play in its third bowl game in the past four seasons by meeting Western Kentucky in the SERVPRO First Responder Bowl on Monday, December 30 in Dallas.

Kickoff at Gerald J. Ford Stadium is set for 12:30 p.m. ET, and the game will be televised live by ESPN.  The meeting on the gridiron between the Broncos (7-5) and the Hilltoppers (8-4) will mark the 16th in series history, but the two have not faced each other since 1947.

Bronco fans are encouraged to purchase tickets from the Western Michigan allotment on WMUBroncos.com.

Western Michigan head coach Tim Lester will participate in the fourth bowl game of his coaching career. As an assistant, he helped Western Michigan to the 2006 International Bowl and Syracuse to the 2013 Texas Bowl while also guiding WMU to the 2018 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl as a head coach.

"We have a chance to play one more," Lester said. "It has been a tough couple of weeks. We have to get better. I have to get better. The coaches have to get better. The greatest thing is we have another chance this year to send our seniors out the right way. It all ends with one last game in Dallas. We're excited to head there."

The Broncos are looking for their eighth victory of the season, the most for the program since 13 in 2016. Another win would mark the fourth time in the last six seasons with eight or more wins after not capturing eight before the stretch since nine in 2008. One more win would also improve Western Michigan's win total by one every year under Lester with six in 2017 and seven in 2018 and in 2019.

Offensively, the Broncos are led by senior running back LeVante Bellamy, who was voted the 2019 Mid-American Conference Vern Smith Leadership Award winner as the league's most valuable player and the MAC Offensive Player of the Year. The Doak Walker Award semifinalist leads the nation with 23 rushing touchdowns and ranks 10th in the country with 1,412 yards rushing this season. Bellamy was joined on the All-MAC first team by senior center Luke Juriga, senior tight end Giovanni Ricci and freshman wide receiver Skyy Moore. Juriga has accepted his invitation to the East-West Shrine Bowl. Ricci, a product of Loveland, Ohio, has caught 47 passes for 622 yards (13.23 ypc) and eight touchdowns and will join Juriga at the Shrine Bowl. Moore has turned in a strong rookie season for WMU, hauling in 47 passes for 734 yards (15.62 ypc) and three touchdowns. He is the first MAC true freshman wide receiver to be first team all-league since Roger Lewis of Bowling Green in 2014, the first in WMU history and just the third in the MAC since 1982.

On defense, junior linebacker Treshaun Hayward was tabbed the MAC Defensive Player of the Year. Second-team all-league defensive representatives were senior linebacker Drake Spears and junior defensive end Ali Fayad. Spears has contributed 88 tackles, 2.5 tackles for lost yardage, 0.5 sacks, two pass breakups, two interceptions, two fumble recoveries and a trio of quarterback pressures. Fayad capped the regular season with a breakout performance at Northern Illinois to increase his campaign totals to 49 tackles, 14.0 TFL, 6.5 sacks, four caused fumbles, one fumble recovery, one pass breakup and seven quarterback pressures.

Western Michigan will make its 10th bowl game appearance.  The Broncos also have appeared in the Aviation Bowl (1961 season), California Bowl (1988), International Bowl (2006), Texas Bowl (2008), Little Caesars Pizza Bowl (2011), Famous Idaho Potato Bowl (2014 & 2018), Popeyes Bahamas Bowl (2015) and Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic (2016).
 
Western Michigan – All-Time Bowl Results (1-8)
Aviation Bowl – December 8, 1961 – New Mexico 28, Western Michigan 12
California Raisin Bowl – December 10, 1988 – Fresno State 35, Western Michigan 30
International Bowl – January 6, 2007 – Cincinnati 27, Western Michigan 24
Texas Bowl – December 30, 2008 – Rice 38, Western Michigan 14
Little Caesars Pizza Bowl – December 27, 2011 – Purdue 37, Western Michigan 32
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl – December 20, 2014 – Air Force 38, Western Michigan 24
Popeyes Bahamas Bowl – December 24, 2015 – Western Michigan 45, Middle Tennessee State 31
Goodyear Cotton Bowl – January 2, 2017 – Wisconsin 24, Western Michigan 16
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl – December 21, 2018 – BYU 49, Western Michigan 18
 
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