HUNTINGTON, W.V. – The Western Michigan football team fell just short on the road at Marshall, falling to the Thundering Herd 27-20 on Saturday.
The Broncos (1-3, 0-0 MAC) trailed 17-3 at the half but took the ball to start the third quarter and marched right down the field for a touchdown. On third and six in Marshall territory, Jaden Nixon through the middle of the line and then bounced out left, taking it 36 yards for the touchdown to cut the lead to 17-10. The drive was eight plays and 75 yards, all on the ground split between Nixon and Zahir Abdus-Salaam.
Marshall responded with a 12-play, 58-yard drive for a field goal to push the lead to 20-10, but the Broncos countered back with another touchdown. The drive opened with a pass from Hayden Wolff to Blake Bosma for eight yards and then a run by Abdus-Salaam out to the WMU 35. Wolff then avoided a sack and found Womack open for a 22-yard gain and into MU territory. Another long run by Nixon got the Broncos down to the Marshall 3-yard line. Wolff then used play-action to find a wide-open Bosma in the endzone to cut the lead to 20-17 with the third quarter winding down.
Marshall was forced to punt to open the fourth quarter and after a 27-yard punt return by Bugs Mortimer, Luka Zurak made his second 45-yard field goal of the game to tie it up at 27-20.
On the ensuing drive, Thundering Herd quarterback Stone Earle was hit by Donald Willis and fumbled, with Jayden Childers pouncing on the ball for the Broncos at the MU 41. The Broncos drove deeper into Marshall territory but Wolff fumbled on third and 10, with Marshall getting the ball back on its own 30.
Three plays later, Earle hit an open Christian Fitzpatrick for a 34-yard touchdown to give Marshall the lead back, 27-20.
The Broncos got the ball with 7:39 to play and methodically drove down the field and down to the Marshall 5. Nixon was stopped in the backfield on third and one, making it fourth and three with 36 seconds to play. Wolff's pass for Malique Dieudonne in the endzone was too high and the Broncos turned it over on downs, with Marshall then taking a knee.
Nixon finished with a game-high 146 yards rushing for his second career 100-yard rushing game, and his second-straight this season. Wolff finished 15-for-29 for 126 yards and a touchdown, while Womack had six receptions for 43 yards. Sambucci and Bosma both had four, with Sambucci posting a team-high 56 yards.
Bilahl Kone and Aaron Wofford led WMU with nine tackles, while Armani Adams had the team's lone sack. Damari Roberson had seven tackles and two pass breakups.
The Broncos are back on the road next Saturday, opening Mid-American Conference play at Ball State at 2 p.m. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+ and heard live on the Bronco Radio Network.
