Western Michigan University Athletics

Western Michigan Bowl History

Bowl	Date	Opponent	Result	Attendance
Aviation Bowl	Dec. 8, 1961	New Mexico	L, 12-28	3,694
California Raisin Bowl	Dec. 10, 1988	Fresno State	L, 30-35	31,272
International Bowl	Jan. 6, 2007	Cincinnati	L, 24-27	26,717
Texas Bowl	Dec. 30, 2008	Rice	L, 14-38	58,880
Little Caesars Pizza Bowl	Dec. 27, 2011	Purdue	L, 32-37	46,177
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl	Dec. 20, 2014	Air Force	L, 24-38	18,223
Popeyes Bahamas Bowl	Dec. 24, 2015	Middle Tennessee State	W, 45-31	13,500
Goodyear Cotton Bowl	Jan. 2, 2017	Wisconsin	L, 16-24	59,615
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl	Dec. 21, 2018	BYU	L, 18-49	18,711
SERVPRO First Responder Bowl	Dec. 30, 2019	Western Kentucky	L, 20-23	13,164
Quick Lane Bowl	Dec. 27, 2021	Nevada	W, 52-24	22,321
IS4S Salute To Veterans Bowl	Dec. 14, 2024	South Alabama	L, 23-30	12,021

1961 AVIATION BOWL
New Mexico 28, Western Michigan 12

Western Michigan made its postseason debut in the inaugural (and only) Aviation Bowl on December 9, 1961. 

New Mexico struck for early touchdowns in the first and third quarters to defeat the Broncos 28-12 in a chilled event. Freezing weather, including sleet and snow, nearly grounded the Aviation contest and limited the game to approximately 4,000 fans even though advance sales had surpassed 5,000.

The Broncos were led by quarterback Ed Chlebek, who completed 18 passes for 207 yards and one touchdown.

WMU fell behind 14-0, but bounced back on a Bob White scoring run from four yards out. New Mexico added two more scores before Chlebek found Dave Cooke in the end zone from five yards out for the final score of the game.

1988 CALIFORNIA BOWL
Fresno State 35, Western Michigan 30

Twenty-seven years after its first bowl trip, Western Michigan made its second after capturing nine wins and winning its first Mid-American Conference title.

Western Michigan fell behind by two scores before fighting back to take a 17-14 lead into halftime. 

The Bulldogs hopped ahead 14-0 with 55 and 38-yard touchdown passes from Mark Barsotti to Andre Alexander. WMU rallied as Robert Oliver hauled in a 31-yard pass from Tony Kimbrough for the team's first touchdown.

Robert Davis followed with a 51-yard rushing TD to tie the game. John Creek made good on a 29-yard field goal to give the Broncos a 17-14 lead at the half.

The two teams traded touchdowns in the early portion of the third quarter before Fresno State scored two more TDs later in the frame with a running attack that had Darrell Rosette score from four yards away and Myron Jones from 26. 

WMU closed the gap to five points on a Kimbrough six-yard score in the fourth quarter, but the ensuing two-point conversion failed and the Broncos were kept out of the end zone, sealing the Fresno State victory. 

2007 INTERNATIONAL BOWL
Cincinnati 27, Western Michigan 24

Western Michigan played in its third bowl game in program history, taking on Big East opponent Cincinnati in the 2007 International Bowl and falling 27-24.

Cincinnati raced out to a 24-0 lead with 10 minutes to play in the half, but the Broncos scored 17 unanswered points in the latter portion of the second quarter to cut the deficit to 24-17 at intermission. 

With WMU trailing 27-24 in the final frame, the Broncos missed a 51-yard game-tying field goal to force overtime with less than two minutes to play.

Cincinnati jumped ahead 24-0 with a 25-yard interception return for a touchdown, a pair of 21-yard touchdown passes from Nick Davila to International Bowl Most Valuable Player Dominick Goodman and a 37-yard field goal. 

The Broncos used trickery to get the offense started. Sophomore cornerback E.J. Biggers found a streaking Jamarko Simmons on a 76-yard option pass off a double reverse in the second. Quarterback Ryan Cubit then hit Herb Martin with a 30-yard touchdown pass. Next, Matt Ludeman intercepted a pass to set up a 29-yard field goal by Nate Meyer as WMU pulled within a touchdown, 24-17.

The Broncos tied the score at 24-24 in the fourth quarter on a seven-yard rushing touchdown by Brandon West. Cincinnati kicked a 33-yard field goal with 6:11 remaining to go ahead 27-24. The Broncos then missed the potential game-tying field goal and Cincinnati ran out the clock.

2008 TEXAS BOWL
Rice 38, Western Michigan 14

On a night when Western Michigan seemed to come up just short or just long, the Broncos could never get any momentum in a 38-14 loss to Rice in the Texas Bowl.

The Owls took a 7-0 lead with 5:21 to go in the opening quarter as Chase Clement scampered 26 yards into the end zone. Clement finished with 307 yards and three passing TDs on the night.  He also caught a touchdown pass in the third quarter.

Western Michigan had five offensive possessions in the first half and the final four resulted in two punts and two interceptions. The Broncos' Achilles' heel throughout the first half and most of the game was third downs, offensively and defensively. Western Michigan was one-for-seven in the first 30 minutes, while Rice was a staggering nine-for-12 in the first half alone. Rice's second score, a 30-yard field goal from Clark Fangmeier to take a 10-0 lead, was aided in part by a pair of 15-yard penalties on WMU over a span of three plays. The lead grew to 24-0 by the break with Clement finding Toren Dixon from six yards out at the 6:53 mark of the second quarter and James Casey from 45 yards out with 1:15 to go.

The lead swelled to 38-0 after a Clement TD catch in the third and 18-yard scoring strike to Jarett Dillard in the fourth. WMU quarterback Tim Hiller found Kirk Elsworth from two yards out for the Broncos' first score, at 6:33 in the fourth. The TD pass broke Tim Lester's single-season mark, giving Hiller 35 scoring strikes on the year and 75 for his career. Hiller added another TD toss, from 13 yards to Schneider Julien with 25 seconds to play.

2011 LITTLE CAESARS PIZZA BOWL
Purdue 37, Western Michigan 32

Western Michigan rolled to 485 yards of offense, but fell 37-32 to Purdue in the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl. Quarterback Alex Carder finished 31-of-57 for 439 yards and three touchdowns while Jordan White had 265 receiving yards.

The Broncos jumped out to an early lead just six minutes in after a Boilermaker fumble set up a White touchdown on a flea-flicker. The ensuing two-point conversion gave WMU its first lead in a bowl game in program history at 8-0. A Purdue one-yard touchdown pass at the end of the first made it 8-7 after one.

The second quarter belonged to the Boilermakers, who outscored the Broncos 20-7. In the third, WMU got a 21-yard field goal, but Purdue scored when Caleb TerBush hit Gary Bush for a 33-yard touchdown for a 34-18 advantage. The Broncos responded with a Tevin Drake 1-yard touchdown plunge. 

During the third, White became the Mid-American Conference's all-time leader in career receiving yards, set the MAC record for receiving yards in a season and tied the MAC record for career receptions.

With less than five minutes in the game and the Boilermakers ahead 37-25, Carder connected with Chleb Ravenell for a five-yard score to make it 37-32. After forcing a Purdue punt, Carder took a big hit and fumbled, sealing the Purdue win.


2014 IDAHO POTATO BOWL
Air Force 38, Western Michigan 24 

Western Michigan was rewarded with its sixth bowl appearance in program history after a historic turnaround from 1-11 in 2013 to an 8-4 regular season in 2014.

The Broncos led Air Force twice early in the game, but the Falcons pulled ahead with a pair of touchdowns in the second quarter and held on for the win.

Corey Davis scored all three of WMU's touchdowns and was named Western Michigan's MVP of the game. His first strike was on a 47-yard pass from Zach Terrell, putting WMU up 10-6 in the second. Davis' second TD was a 35-yard toss from Terrell, pulling Western Michigan within six, 23-17, with 13:26 left in the game. The final touchdown was a 51-yard haul with 3:16 remaining.

WMU recovered a fumble on the opening play and Andrew Haldeman banged in a 25-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead. Air Force scored a one-yard TD before a bad snap resulted in no extra point. Davis' 47-yard TD grab put Western Michigan up 14-6, but Falcon running back and game MVP Shayne Davern broke free for a 55-yard touchdown run. Air Force scored another TD for a 20-10 advantage.

Trailing 23-10 in the fourth, the Broncos gave one last push, cutting the deficit to six points with Davis' second TD catch at the start of the frame. With less than 10 minutes to play, Air Force's Dexter Walker returned a fumble 60 yards for a score. A nine-yard touchdown run by the Falcons' D.J. Johnson with 5:20 remaining all but sealed the win. 


2015 POPEYES BAHAMAS BOWL
Western Michigan 45, Middle Tennessee State 31

WMU captured the first bowl victory in school history, defeating Middle Tennessee State, 45-31, in the Popeyes Bahamas Bowl.

With the score tied 24-24 entering the fourth, Western Michigan pulled away and took a 14-point lead after back-to-back one-yard touchdown runs by Mid-American Conference Freshman of the Year Jamauri Bogan. Bogan was named Offensive MVP of the game and finished with four TDs and 215 yards. 

Bronco safety Rontavious Atkins came up with a critical interception that set up Bogan's final touchdown and halted a potential game-tying drive by the Raiders. 

WMU Linebacker Grant DePalma was named Defensive MVP after 12 tackles.

Middle Tennessee State scored on its opening possession on a 46-yard touchdown run by Richie James. Western Michigan trailed 14-7 and 17-10 in the first quarter before pulling even on Corey Davis' 80-yard touchdown reception.

WMU took its first lead of the game in the third, when Bogan ripped off a 46-yard touchdown run. MTSU countered with a 17-yard TD catch by Christian Collis.


2016 GOODYEAR COTTON BOWL
Wisconsin 24, Western Michigan 16

Wisconsin tight end Troy Fumagalli made a leaping eight-yard touchdown catch in the fourth quarter and the Badgers won 24-16 in the Cotton Bowl to deny Western Michigan an undefeated season.

The TD catch by Fumagalli with just over 12 minutes left, in the back of the end zone between two defenders, came three plays after a rare interception thrown by Zach Terrell and made it 24-10.

The Broncos (13-1) made it to the last FBS team other than No. 1 Alabama in 2016 with a chance to be undefeated. But Wisconsin (11-3), which finished with 11 wins for the fourth time in seven seasons, was clearly bigger and stronger — especially up front. The Big Ten Badgers set the tone early, with rushing touchdowns on their first two drives to take a 14-0 lead against the Group of Five team.

Fumagalli had several other highlight catches, including a one-handed 20-yard grab on the Badgers' opening drive, and a 26-yard catch to convert third-and-eight after Western Michigan scored in the fourth quarter.

Terrell combined with All-America receiver Corey Davis for 51 career touchdowns, tying the FBS record on an 11-yarder on fourth down with 3:27 left. Even with cornerback Sojourn Shelton's arms wrapped around him in the back of the end zone, Davis broke free to make the catch.

Western Michigan's senior quarterback had 33 touchdowns and only four interceptions for the season, the last pick by Wisconsin linebacker T.J. Edwards.


2018 IDAHO POTATO BOWL
BYU 49, Western Michigan 18

Western Michigan saw its season come to an end after falling 49-18 to Brigham Young University at the 2018 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl at Albertson Stadium on the campus of Boise State University.

Brigham Young got on the board first after a poor punt gave the Cougars the ball at the WMU 27. Zach Wilson connected with Dylan Collie from 26 yards out for a 7-0 lead with 2:20 to go in the first quarter.

After being held in check by the BYU defense, WMU's fortunes changed thanks to the defense. The Cougars attempted a trick play, but Corvin Moment forced a fumble that was recovered by Stefan Claiborne at the BYU 40. On fourth-and-three, Jamauri Bogan picked up the 43rd rushing touchdown of his career, evening the game with 3:07 in the half.

WMU forced a punt and Kaleb Eleby got the offense to the BYU 20, where Gavin Peddie connected on a 37-yard field goal to send the Broncos to the half with a 10-7 lead.

Brigham Young responded with 28 points in the third. Wilson found Collie in the end zone for the second time of the game to take a 14-10 lead before three more touchdowns pushed the Cougars ahead 35-10 heading to the fourth. Eleby ran in from one-yard out after a 54-yard completion to D'Wayne Eskridge to cut the score to 42-18. BYU added a late touchdown by Bray El-Bakri for the 49-18 final.


2019 SERVPRO FIRST RESPONDER BOWL
Western Kentucky 23, Western Michigan 20

Western Michigan fell in heartbreaking fashion with Western Kentucky kicking two field goals in the final two minutes, including the game-winning 52-yard make with no time remaining in regulation, for a 23-20 final.

Kicker Thiago Kapps gave the Broncos the lead with under five minutes left in the first quarter with a 30-yard field goal. The Hilltoppers answered 4:06 into the second, when Ty Storey completed a 17-yard touchdown pass to Jahcour Pearson.

WKU made it 10-3 on a 26-yard field goal with 2:22 remaining in the half.

WMU regained momentum before the end of the half thanks to Kareem Ali's 88-yard interception return for a touchdown with 59 seconds to go in the second. It was the first INT return for TD and longest scoring play in WMU bowl history
and longest interception runback in Mid-American Conference bowl history.

On the Broncos' first possession of the second half, Jon Wassink tossed a six-yard TD pass to DaShon Bussell. Western Kentucky tied it at 17-17 with 10:40 left in the fourth quarter as Storey hit Lucky Jackson in the end zone from five yards away.

A 20-yard field goal by Kapps with 4:58 to play put WMU up 20-17, only to have a Cory Munson 31-yard field goal even the score with 1:36 left in the game.

Western Kentucky failed to convert on a Hail Mary with three seconds remaining. The Broncos, however, were penalized for having 12 men on the field, giving the Hilltoppers an untimed down. They settled on a Munson 52-yard field goal try, which he drilled, giving his team the dramatic victory.


2021 QUICK LANE BOWL 
Western Michigan 52, Nevada 24

The Western Michigan University football team captured the second bowl victory in program history on Monday, knocking off Nevada 52-24 in the 2021 Quick Lane Bowl at Ford Field in Detroit.

Through the air, Kaleb Eleby was eight-of-14 for 162 yards and two touchdowns. He also added a rushing score for Western Michigan (8-5).
 
On the defensive side, WMU set program bowl records for fewest yards allowed (242) and sacks (6). Ryan Selig recorded a team-high eight tackles, including a sack. Ali Fayad had five tackles and chipped in 1.5 sacks for the Broncos. Dorian Jackson sealed the victory with a fourth-quarter interception for Western Michigan.
 
Nevada (8-5) turned the contest's opening drive into a field goal, but Tyler took the ensuing kickoff back 100 yards for a touchdown to put Western Michigan ahead, 7-3, in the opening five minutes.
 
The Broncos scored on their first four offensive possessions. On its first offensive drive, Eleby connected with Corey Crooms for a 74-yard touchdown strike, giving WMU a 14-3 advantage at the end of the first quarter.
 
A field goal by Parker Sampson early in the second quarter pushed the Western Michigan advantage to 17-3, but the Wolf Pack responded with a touchdown to cut the margin back to seven at the 11:15 mark.
 
The Broncos answered with back-to-back touchdown drives. Eleby hit Brett Borske for a 20-yard score, and on the next possession, Kincaide raced in from seven yards out to boost WMU's lead to 31-10, an advantage the Broncos took into the halftime locker room.
 
Western Michigan kept the momentum going after halftime, as Tyler had a 70-yard run on WMU's first possession of the third quarter to set up Eleby for a one-yard touchdown plunge. Nevada added a touchdown in the waning moments of the period to send the game into the fourth quarter with the Broncos ahead, 38-17.
 
Kincaide found the end zone for a second time near the midway point of the fourth quarter, and Trae Allen scored his first career touchdown in the final moments to put an exclamation point on the victory for the Broncos.

2024 IS4S SALUTE TO VETERANS BOWL
Western Michigan 23, South Alabama 30

MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The Western Michigan football season came to an end with the Broncos falling to South Alabama, 30-23, in the IS4S Salute to Veterans Bowl at the Crampton Bowl late Saturday night.
 
WMU (6-7, 5-3 MAC), jumped out to a 10-0 lead after taking the opening drive down the field for a Jalen Buckley touchdown run and then adding a 37-yard field goal by Luka Zurak just 10 seconds into the second quarter.
 
After the Jaguars responded with a field goal, they used big plays to take the lead in the second quarter. USA quarterback Bishop Davenport threw a 52-yard touchdown pass to Jeremiah Webb to tie the game up at 10-10 and then connected with Webb again, this time from 45 yards, to push ahead 16-10.
 
After an interception by WMU cornerback Joshua Franklin, Luka Zurak added his second field goal of the night to cut the lead to 16-13 with 13 seconds left in the second quarter.
 
USA stuck again on a big play, with Davenport running it in from 50 yards out to give the Jaguars a 23-13 lead with 4:18 left in the third quarter.
 
Western Michigan cut the lead down to three after Hayden Wolff marched the Broncos down the field and found Anthony Sambucci in the endzone for a seven-yard touchdown pass.
 
WMU's defense forced South Alabama to a fourth and short within Bronco territory on the ensuing drive, but Kentrel Bullock picked up the first down after a short rush. On the next play he ran it into the endzone from 22 yards to put the Jaguars up 30-20.
 
Western Michigan quickly moved down the field and into USA territory, but an intentional grounding penalty stalled the drive and forced WMU to settle for a field goal. Zurak nailed it from 48 yards to get the Broncos within a touchdown. WMU attempted the on-side kick but it was recovered by South Alabama. USA then ran out the clock.
 
Zurak's three field goals were a WMU bowl record. Wolff was 17-for-27 passing for 196 yards and a touchdown. Jaden Nixon led the Broncos rushing attack with 45 yards on 11 carries. Kenneth Womack had a team-high 89 yards on five receptions, while Sambucci had three catches for 36 yards and a touchdown. Donald Willis had a game-high 10 tackles, with Damari Roberson making eight.