KALAMAZOO, Mich. – First-year Western Michigan Football Head Coach Lance Taylor picked up his first career win as the Broncos opened the 2023 season with a convincing 35-17 win over Saint Francis (Pa.) in front of 19,432 fans at Waldo Stadium on Thursday night.
 
It was a night of first for more than just Taylor, as five different players scored their first touchdowns of their careers or their first as Broncos in the victory.
 
WMU used the ground attack to wear down the Red Flashes, posting 339 total rushing yards. It was the team's first time eclipsing 300 on the ground since the Quick Lane Bowl victory over Nevada on Dec. 27, 2021. Redshirt freshman Jalen Buckley was a workhorse for the Broncos with a career-high 30 carries for 194 yards. Prior to tonight's game, Buckley had just nine carries in his career in his four previous games last season.
 
Junior Zahir Abdus-Salaam gave the Broncos an early lead with a five-yard touchdown run to cap off an 11-play, 60-yard drive with 5:11 left to play in the first quarter. The touchdown was the first of his career and he went on to finish with a career-high 20 carries for 73 yards.
 
Transfer running back Keshawn King scored his first touchdown as a Bronco early in the second quarter, pushing the lead to 14-0. King ran in from two-yards out after catching a pass from sophomore quarterback Jack Salopek on the previous play for 14-yards to set up the score.
 
Buckley picked up his first career touchdown after the WMU defense made a goal-line stand to force a field goal by SFU's Mac Plummer. The Broncos drove down the field and Buckley capped off the 76-yard drive with a three-yard touchdown run.
 
The Red Flash cut into the lead right before the half when reigning Northeastern Conference Player of the Year Cole Doyle connected with Dawson Snyder on a 77-yard touchdown pass. Doyle was able to scramble out of pressure and found Snyder beyond the Bronco secondary for the score.
 
WMU took a 21-10 lead into the second half but SFU cut the lead to four after opening the third quarter with a 10-play, 85-yard drive that ended with a QuaSean Holmes five-yard touchdown run.
 
The Broncos defense tightened things up from there, not allowing another point and recording all three of the team's sacks in the final 25 minutes.
 
Salopek threw his first touchdown pass of the season, connecting with tight end Austin Hence from nine-yards out to push the lead to 28-17. Hence, who transferred from Mercyhurst back in 2020, had missed the previous two seasons due to injury and played in his first game for WMU.
 
Early in the fourth quarter, Western Michigan drove down the field to the one-yard line and redshirt junior defensive end Marshawn Kneeland plunged into the endzone on his first career carry for his first career touchdown to set the final at 35-17. Kneeland also finished with three tackles and 0.5 sacks on the night.
 
Michigan State transfer safety Tate Hallock led the Broncos with seven tackles on the night. Minnesota transfer linebacker Donald Willis had four tackles in his first game as a Bronco, including a solo sack. Senior cornerback Keni-H Lovely had three tackles, two coming for loss and a pass breakup.
 
Sophomore kicker Palmer Domschke was perfect on his five extra point attempts on the night.
 
Western Michigan heads to Syracuse next Saturday for the first of three-straight road games before it returns home to host Ball State on Saturday, Sept. 30. Kickoff against the Orange is at 3:30 p.m. and can be watched live on ESPN+, with radio coverage provided by the Bronco Media Network.
 
Tickets for all WMU home games are available at www.wmubroncos.com.