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Western Michigan Broncos (2000: 9-3) The following team preview is provided by Blue Ribbon. For the nation's most comprehensive look at this and all Division I-A teams, be sure to order the 2001 Blue Ribbon College Football Yearbook, on sale now at 1-800-775-2518.
Coach and programHead coach Gary Darnell reportedly told his assistants not to buy any property when they landed in Kalamazoo in 1997. For the star coordinator with stops at Texas, Florida, Wake Forest, Notre Dame and Kansas State, a long stay wasn’t expected.Darnell pushed the Broncos to the nation’s most-improved record in ’97, going from 2-9 the previous year to an 8-3 season. After a 31-7 loss that year at Ohio, Western won six straight to end the year and is 29-12 ever since that turning-point game at Peden Stadium. In the meantime, the real estate situation has settled down, and despite a few flirtations with other jobs the last two seasons, Darnell looks to be here for the long haul. On Oct. 5, the Broncos made league history on national TV by being the first MAC team to win at Marshall since the Herd rejoined the league. The score was 30-10 as Western did what no one else had been able to do in Huntington. Panned by the preseason prognosticators, the Broncos were just as good as the ’99 team that lost a MAC title game at Marshall in the final 30 seconds to the departed pro Chad Pennington and returned in 2000. Marshall got its revenge at home in that season finale, which ended Western’s season and sent Marshall fans again to wintry Detroit for Christmas. But what’s been built in Kalamazoo is special. The success in and out of conference is proven. The Broncos got a win at Iowa last fall, a near miss at Wisconsin and have set sights high again at Michigan and Virginia Tech this fall. Western will take on any challenge, and for the last three years has handled it well as anybody. Just like Toledo, this team has enough “juice” with the youngsters to go into Detroit and Chicago and come out with far better than the usual MAC-level recruit. The true measure of respect for a MAC team is here; that's when mediocre big conference schools won’t schedule you anymore.
OffenseThe shadow of Tim Lester loomed very large last year for now-veteran senior Jeff Welsh (6-3, 215). But the two-year backup from the Chicago area answered the call with a 2,537-yard season on 59 percent completions. Welsh threw for 15 scores and 12 interceptions, but made fairly good decisions.Departed senior Robert Sanford was the NCAA’s eighth-leading rusher at 1,571 yards and went for 100 yards in seven consecutive games, including 203 in the win at Marshall. So who is the star-to-be in this one-back offense? Senior Charles Woods (5-10, 194) is from South Florida like Sanford and got nearly 300 yards and six scores in mainly mop-up duty in 10 games last year. Wideout Steve Neal was first-team All-MAC three times and caught 67 passes for 848 yards last fal --—good for fourth in the league in yards and catches. But his game-breaking speed made other things possible for every other receiver on the squad. Now, the chances and the catches should fall to senior receiver Josh Bush (5-9, 150). Bush is at his best on special teams, but is the top returning pass-catcher with 40 grabs and four receiving touchdowns. The Broncos also signed a pair of quality tight ends, but this position belongs to junior Mobolaji Afairiogun (6-4, 228). Afairiogun was so good as a pass catching tight end that he rarely came off the field for a fourth wideout. He caught 32 passes for 365 yards and three touchdowns, earning All-MAC first-team honors from almost everyone.
Defense and special teamsWestern was fourth nationally in scoring defense (11.6 points per game), ninth in total defense, and in the top 20 in passing and rushing defense. The Broncos have All-MAC selections from last fall at both bookends and will need an even stronger performance from the tackles to keep offensive guards off of the new inside linebackers.Junior Anthony Allsbury (6-2, 254) was first-team All-MAC at right end and is a great story after beginning his career as a walk-on. Fellow junior Chris Browning (6-2, 248) plays at the left end -- the side away from the nose guard in this offset 4-3 -- and grabbed second-team All-MAC attention from the coaches. He started the last six games and totaled five sacks and 31 stops. Garrett Soldano and Mario Evans were the two top tacklers on the team last fall, combining for 216 tackles and eight sacks at the inside linebacker positions. Outside, senior Terrence Moore (6-2, 200) was third with 63 stops and is petitioning the NCAA for an extra year of eligibility. But the Broncos can’t count on him to be back for the fall. Though the second level of the Broncos’ defense has some serious questions, the defensive backs are a strength, with two returnees who grabbed All-MAC honors last year. Senior corner Ronald Rogers (5-8, 174) is the team’s top returning tackler (54) and had four interceptions for a second straight year. Junior punter Matt Steffen (6-1, 195) is back for his third season, though he hasn’t been that busy. Steffen had only 45 punts last fall, and two were blocked.
Bottom lineIt’s remarkable just how little the MAC’s media and few prognosticators thought of this team going into the 2000 season. The consensus pick was second or third in the West with a significant drop-off in performance.But no matter how far this program has developed, the odds are against the Broncos this fall. It will come down to a couple games again this fall to win the West. And those games are being played in DeKalb, Ill. and Toledo, not at Waldo Stadium. Western will run the table at home, but what it does on the road will determine whether there is a postseason in Kalamazoo. Then again, we all said they were taking a step back last year, too. |
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