Football | July 23, 2019
DETROIT – The Western Michigan football team was picked to finish second in the Mid-American Conference West Division according to the MAC Preseason Media Poll released Tuesday morning ahead of MAC Media Day at Ford Field.
The Broncos had five first-place votes and finished with 112 points, 15 shy of top-placed Toledo. Ohio was picked to finish atop the MAC East, getting all 24 first-place votes. WMU also received two votes to be the MAC Championship game winner.
Western Michigan returns 17 starters from the 2018 team that earned a berth in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl. Individually, First Team All-MAC selection LeVante Bellamy is already racking up the preseason accolades. The senior running back is coming off a career-best season that saw him run for 1,228 yards and has been named to the Walter Camp and Doak Walker Award watch lists. A big reason for his success was the WMU offensive line, now led by senior center Luke Juriga. Juriga, who shifts to the middle after a First Team All-MAC season at guard, was recently named to the Rimington Trophy watch list. Senior Jon Wassink leads the offense. Wassink played in nine games before suffering a season-ending injury. The Grand Rapids, Mich., native threw for 1,994 yards and 16 touchdowns, while also scoring six more with his feet.
WMU also has a veteran presence on defense. Defensive end Ali Fayad led the team with 7.5 sacks, with defensive tackle Ralph Holley right behind him with seven. Both move into veteran roles as juniors this season. The linebacker core returns seniors Drake Spears, Najee Clayton and Alex Grace, while redshirt sophomore Corvin Moment contributed 52 tackles last season. Explosive and dynamic athlete D'Wayne Eskridge will play both cornerback and wide receiver this season, while the secondary will also be anchored by senior safety Justin Tranquill and defensive back Anton Curtis.
Fans can watch head coach Tim Lester and Wassink live during ESPN3's broadcast of media day. The pair will join ESPN's stage at 12:01 p.m. The Broncos open the 2019 season hosting Monmouth on Saturday, Aug. 31 at 7 p.m. Tickets are available by calling 1-888-4-WMUTIX and online at www.wmubroncos.com/tickets.
