The Zips and Broncos tangle looking to improve their conference title prospects.
The MAC is one of the most competitive conferences and last week’s results for both squads did little to dispel that notion.
The Zips (1-5, 0-2 MAC) suffered a tough 27-20 defeat to the Falcons last week, with BGSU’s superstar tight end Harold Fannin Jr. clinching the late game on a 31-yard touchdown run with just over two minutes remaining.
The Broncos (2-3, 1-0 MAC), on the other hand, survived and advanced in the conference standings with an important road win over Ball State in a 45-42 track meet to start off the MAC slate right.
While one team lost and one won, it is still early in conference play with a lot of work to do. Both squads flashed some brilliance to this point in the season but each will be looking to establish the kind of consistency it takes to be a contender in November.
Let’s take a look at where each team stands heading into this week starting with the Zips.
Game notes
- Time and date: Saturday October 12, 2024 at 3:30 p.m. ET
- Location: Waldo Stadium in Kalamazoo, Michigan
- Viewing options: ESPN+. A valid cable subscription is required.
- Weather: Morning showers, partly sunny and 64 degrees at kickoff
- Radio options: Robin Hook (play-by-play) and John Creek (color) will provide the WMU call for Jack 106.5 FM. Dave Skoczen (play-by-play) and Joe Dunn (color) will provide the Akron call for WHLO-AM 640.
- Gambling considerations: Per DraftKings, WMU are nine-point favorites, with an over/Under 51.5
- All-time series: Broncos lead 16-5 all-time. The last meeting saw Western Michigan take a tense 45-40 win on November 9, 2021.
Getting to know the Zips
Photo by Jason Mowry/Getty Images
Where Akron is at and what they need to do is fairly well established at this point.
Offensively, Akron runs a lot of run-pass option, which puts the ball in the hands of their quarterback Ben Finley to decide whether to pull and pass or go with the run.
Despite the loss of star wideout Alex Adams for most of the season, when Finley throws he still has several skill players who have emerged as competitors in this league starting with wideout Adrian Norton, who is second in the MAC in yards per catch at 18.7.
Tight end Jake Newell does a lot of the heavy lifting, moving the chains with a club-leading 27 catches. The running backs also factor heavily into the passing game so far led by Charles Kellom with 18 catches.
The key to making the offense work consistently though for the Zips is finding a more credible running game threat. After rushing for negative yards against Ohio in the MAC opener (including sack yardage), Akron got some things going last week. With a bit of a shuffled deck on the starting o-line and with QB Finley as a factor, the Zips ran for 115 yards on the ground against the Falcons including a five-yard rushing score by reserve QB Tahj Bullock. Running back Jordon Simmons also made some impact plays with 9 carries for 73 yards.
In the coming weeks, it will be interesting to see if QB Finley is more of a schemed factor in the running game based on his success in limited attempts last week because he has the athleticism to make that happen.
Akron’s defense played with compelling passion and flashed success against Ohio and Bowling Green, but going forward needs to find that consistency in areas like tackling to take that next step towards dominance. The defense has surrendered 57 points in two games which has kept them in it but more consistent tackling could possibly reduce that number of points allowed.
Several players have made an impact defensively but linebacker Brian McCoy has stood out as a leader with 57 tackles including 26 combined in the last two weeks.
Punter Avery Book and kicker Garrison Smith, a pair of special teams transfers, are one of the best duos in the MAC this year. Book leads the league with 46.4 yards per punt and 12 inside the 20 yard line. Smith has hit 87.5 percent of his field goal attempts this year compared with just 56 percent by Zips kickers last year.
Getting to know the Broncos
Photo by Jason Mowry/Getty Images
The Broncos come into this one looking to build on the success of a road victory in the conference opener.
WMU head coach Lance Taylor has said more than once that the Broncos want to run and stop the run, and Oklahoma State transfer running back Jaden Nixon is one of the MAC’s breakout players in 2024 with 484 yards rushing for 7.1 yards per carry and six touchdowns.
WMU is also getting a boost in the backfield as 2023 MAC Freshman of the Year running back Jalen Buckely played last week for the first time since a week one injury.
While Buckley’s addition may change the formula some, WMU has been balanced statistically so far with about 180 yards rushing and passing per contest on average. The offense is led by veteran quarterback and current MAC Offensive Player of the Week Hayden Wolff, who comes into the contest with almost 8,000 career yards passing and 45 touchdowns. Wolff has been the league’s most efficient passer this year with an overall rating of 157.1 while completing almost 70 percent of his throws.
Wolff spread the ball around in the passing game this year but some leaders have emerged in a couple of third-year Broncos. Wideout Anthony Sambucci checks in this week as ninth in the MAC with 22 receptions, and tight end Blake Bosma is second on the squad with 15 catches. Look for Bosma this week to be a target in the red zone this week with two such scores on the season.
The return of wideout Kenneth Womack is already paying dividends, with 13 catches in the last two weeks. Womack had prolific production in 2023 with 76 catches.
Overall, the offensive line has been one of the better units in the MAC, tied for third for fewest sacks allowed (seven) and third best in rushing yard per carry average (5.1).
Defensively, WMU has generated four turnovers in the past two weeks and the +2 turnover margin last week was key in the three-point victory.
Overall, the unit has been effective in stretches in the last three weeks and is allowing just over 28 defensive points on average during that span. In games of comparable talent the last two weeks against Marshall and Ball State, WMU surrendered around 400 total yards on average. WMU can win with those averages against many MAC schools given their offense but would probably like to shave a score and a few explosive plays per game to give them a shot at the title against schools like Toledo who are allowing under 20 points per game.
One of the key cogs in the defense this year is 2023 Minnesota transfer linebacker Donald Willis, who has been a factor in the run and pass with a team leading 43 tackles and three passes defensed, three tackles-for-loss, and a forced fumble.
Overall, special teams has been solid in many areas but one area WMU has to clean up immediately is kickoff return coverage, as they have surrendered three touchdowns over the last three games.
Final Thoughts
Akron will play hard and can compete in this one and for the MAC schedule if they continue to develop the running game and clean up some of the things on defense like tackling.
For WMU, as players continue to return from injury, the sky’s the limit on offense which can be pretty formidable as they have the horses to mix the run and pass to keep defenses guessing.
Overall, the Broncos have the more experience and talent on the offensive line and should be able to run and stop the run better based on the games so far which will be the difference.
WMU, 33, Akron 24
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