This week, the focus will be a little different for Western Michigan University's football team.

But there is at least one item which will remain the same.

''Coach (Lance) Taylor always talks about getting one percent better every day and that's been our focus since he got here, then in spring ball and in fall camp which just ended,'' junior center Jacob Gideon said. ''That will remain as our focus going forward, too.''

The biggest focus now for the Broncos (5-7 overall, 4-4 Mid-American Conference in 2022) will be on preparing for the season opening game on Thursday, Aug. 31 at home against St. Francis University. The CommUniverCity game is scheduled to start at 7 p.m., with tickets available at www.wmubroncos.com/tickets.

''In fall camp, we were just focusing on us each and every day,'' Gideon said. ''On the offense, we would go against a bunch of different looks Coach Esposito (defensive coordinator Lou Esposito) would throw at us and it's been great competition.

''But we're just excited to prepare to hit someone in a different jersey.''

Taylor, in his first year at WMU, has been very happy with the way the team has progressed this fall.

''I'm proud of our guys,'' he said. ''They know our standard is high, the expectations are high and we will continue to work and improve even though we are coming out of training camp mode.

''We're still in the process of getting better until we get to game week. Our guys have great attitudes. We have challenged them and they have responded. During the fall, we wanted to make sure everyone was on the same page. We have challenged them and they have responded.''

Added Gideon: ''There is a lot of excitement in this program and not a lot of people are expecting much this year, but we know the type of guys we have on this team.''

The competition for playing time will continue, especially at quarterback where redshirt junior transfer Hayden Wolff, redshirt sophomore Jack Salopek and redshirt freshman Treyson Bourguet are battling for the starting job. Each one has impressed Taylor.

''It's been a heated battle that we've seen all spring and then into the fall camp,'' Taylor said. ''All of them have gone in and made plays and operated efficiently.

''I don't have a timeline to nailed down a starter, but we want to continue to evaluate them until we are ready to make a decision.''

Salopek enters this fall with the most experience, having played in seven games last season. He completed 104 passes in 212 attempts for 1,285 yards and seven touchdowns.

''Jack has done an excellent job running the system with a high efficiency,'' the head coach said. ''He gets the ball out of his hand quickly, which coach Cosh (offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Billy Cosh) is a high proponent of. Jack has a good deep ball arm talent, so he's shown improvement since spring ball.''

Bourguet saw action in four games last season, completing 54 of 109 passes for two touchdowns. He was also the third-leading rusher for Western Michigan last season, gaining 220 yards on 43 carries, scoring one touchdown.

''Treyson really made a big jump, and his understanding and knowledge of the offense has grown so much,'' Taylor said. ''In the spring, you could see his wheels spin because everything was new, but he really dedicated himself this summer, worked hard to master the new playbook and it's shown on the field.

''He's made some big-time throws in competitive situations this fall.''

Wolff comes to the Broncos after playing three seasons at Old Dominion with a career stat line of 5,578 yards passing and 30 touchdowns. In 2022, he threw for 2,908 yards and 18 touchdowns. Like Salopek and Bourguet, Wolff is learning a new offense this fall. However, as he enters his fourth season of college football, it is the seventh new offense he's learning, he said.

''Hayden is big (six feet, five inches tall) and has experience as a starter,'' Taylor said. ''He was a little behind Jack and Treyson because he wasn't in spring ball, but after the first week of fall, in his next 10 practices, he really did a nice job of improving and closing the gap.

''I thought he had an excellent day (on Friday in the final fall practice session), has some great situational awareness and does a nice job of getting the ball out of his hand.''

Whoever gets the starting quarterback job, he will be handing the ball off to most likely someone new in the backfield. Of the 1,492 yards gained last season by WMU running backs, only 128 yards return.

 They will be running behind a veteran offensive line, though, one anchored by Gideon in the middle. He's just happy to be back on the field after suffering an injury late in 2022.

''In the spring, I was limited to working on individual technique with no contact, then I would watch the team and help coach up the linemen,'' the junior said.

And improve by that one percent, each and every day.