2023 Western Michigan Broncos football team

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2023 Western Michigan Broncos football
ConferenceMid-American Conference
DivisionWest Division
Record4–8 (3–5 MAC)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorBilly Cosh (1st season)
Defensive coordinatorLou Esposito (7th season)
Home stadiumWaldo Stadium
Seasons
← 2022
2024 →
2023 Mid-American Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
East Division
Miami (OH) xy$   7 – 1     11 – 3  
Ohio   6 – 2     10 – 3  
Bowling Green   5 – 3     7 – 6  
Buffalo   3 – 5     3 – 9  
Akron   1 – 7     2 – 10  
Kent State   0 – 8     1 – 11  
West Division
Toledo xy   8 – 0     11 – 3  
Northern Illinois   5 – 3     7 – 6  
Eastern Michigan   4 – 4     6 – 7  
Central Michigan   3 – 5     5 – 7  
Ball State   3 – 5     4 – 8  
Western Michigan   3 – 5     4 – 8  
Championship: Miami (OH) 23, Toledo 14
  • $ – Conference champion
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
  • y – Championship game participant

The 2023 Western Michigan Broncos football team represented Western Michigan University in the 2023 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Broncos played their home games at Waldo Stadium in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and competed in the West Division of the Mid-American Conference (MAC).[1] They were led by first-year head coach Lance Taylor who was the offensive coordinator for Louisville in 2022.[2] They finished the season 4–8 and 3–5 in conference play[3]

Preseason[edit]

Preseason polls[edit]

Coaches Poll[edit]

On July 20, the MAC announced the preseason coaches poll. Western Michigan was picked to finish last in the West.[4]

East
Predicted finish Team Votes (1st place)
1 Ohio 63 (9)
2 Miami 52 (2)
3 Buffalo 51 (1)
4 Bowling Green 35
5 Akron 26
6 Kent State 19
West
Predicted finish Team Votes (1st place)
1 Toledo 66 (11)
2 Eastern Michigan 55 (1)
3 Northern Illinois 38
4 Central Michigan 37
5 Ball State 27
6 Western Michigan 23
Coaches poll (MAC Championship)
Rank Team Votes
1 Toledo 7
2 Ohio 4
3 Buffalo 1

Schedule[edit]

DateTimeOpponentSiteTVResultAttendance
August 31 7:00 p.m. Saint Francis (PA)*
ESPN+ W 35–17 19,432
September 9 3:30 p.m. at Syracuse*
ACCNX/ESPN+ L 7–48 32,637
September 16 3:30 p.m. at No. 25 Iowa*
BTN L 10–41 69,250
September 23 1:30 p.m. at Toledo
ESPN+ L 31–49 19,068
September 30 3:30 p.m. Ball State
  • Waldo Stadium
  • Kalamazoo, MI
 ESPN+ W 42–2421,880
October 7 12:00 p.m. at Mississippi State*
SECN L 28–41 47,158
October 14 3:30 p.m. Miami (OH)dagger
  • Waldo Stadium
  • Kalamazoo, MI
 ESPN+ L 21–34 20,039
October 21 12:00 p.m. at Ohio
CBSSN L 17–20 16,048
October 28 1:00 p.m. at Eastern Michigan
ESPN+ W 45–21 16,297
November 7 7:00 p.m. Central Michigan
ESPNU W 38–28 17,841
November 14 7:00 p.m. at Northern Illinois
ESPNU L 0–246,417
November 21 7:00 p.m. Bowling Green
  • Waldo Stadium
  • Kalamazoo, MI
 ESPNU L 10–34 8,901
  • *Non-conference game
  • daggerHomecoming
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game
  • All times are in Eastern time

[5][6]

Game summaries[edit]

Saint Francis (PA)[edit]

See also: 2023 Saint Francis Red Flash football team

at Syracuse[edit]

See also: 2023 Syracuse Orange football team
Game Two – Western Michigan Broncos (1–0) at Syracuse Orange (1–0)
Period 1 2 34Total
Broncos 7 0 007
Orange 17 28 3048

at JMA Wireless Dome • Syracuse, NY

  • Date: Saturday, September 9, 2023
  • Game time: 3:30 p.m. EDT
  • Game weather: Indoor
  • Game attendance: 32,637
  • Referee: Jeremy Valentine
  • TV: ACCNX
Game information
First Quarter
  • (14:30) WMU - Jalen Buckley 74 yd run (Palmer Domschke kick) (Drive: 2 plays, 75 yards, 0:30; WMU 7-0)
  • (10:55) SYR - Brady Denaburg 36 yd Field Goal (Drive: 13 plays, 54 yards, 3:28; WMU 7-3)
  • (8:55) SYR - LeQuint Allen 1 yd run (Brady Denaburg kick) (Drive: 5 plays, 50 yards, 1:18; SYR 10-7)
  • (5:03) SYR - Donovan Brown 86 yd pass from Garrett Shrader (Brady Denaburg kick) (Drive: 1 play, 86 yards, 0:18; SYR 17-7)
Second Quarter
  • (14:52) SYR – Garrett Shrader 18 yd run (Brady Denaburg kick) (Drive: 9 plays, 65 yards, 2:53; SYR 24–7)
  • (10:28) SYR - LeQuint Allen 1 yd run (Brady Denaburg kick) (Drive: 5 plays, 73 yards, 2:17; SYR 31-7)
  • (1:19) SYR - LeQuint Allen 2 yd run (Brady Denaburg kick) (Drive: 14 plays, 99 yards, 3:38; SYR 38-7)
  • (0:00) SYR - Jason Simmons Jr. 84 yd Interception (Brady Denaburg kick) (SYR 45-7)
Third Quarter
  • (2:43) SYR - Brady Denaburg 33 yd Field Goal (Drive: 9 plays, 33 yards, 3:49; SYR 48-7)
Fourth Quarter

No scoring plays

Statistics WMU SYR
First downs 15 26
Total yards 318 496
Rush yards 97 153
Passing yards 221 343
Turnovers 1 0
Time of possession 30:57 29:03
Team Category Player Statistics
Western Michigan Passing Jack Salopek 15/22, 110 yards, INT
Rushing Jalen Buckley 8 carries, 87 yards, TD
Receiving Kenneth Womack 4 receptions, 67 yards
Syracuse Passing Garrett Shrader 19/30, 286 yards, TD
Rushing Juwaun Price 16 carries, 68 yards
Receiving Donovan Brown 3 receptions, 89 yards, TD

at No. 25 Iowa[edit]

See also: 2023 Iowa Hawkeyes football team
Western Michigan at No. 25 Iowa
1 234Total
Broncos 7 300 10
• No. 25 Hawkeyes 0 141710 41
  • Date: September 16
  • Location:
    Kinnick Stadium
    Iowa City, IA
  • Game start: 2:40 p.m. CDT
  • Elapsed time: 3:51
  • Game attendance: 69,250
  • Game weather: 78 °F (26 °C), Cloudy, Wind NW 6 mph (9.7 km/h)
  • Referee: Gregory Blum
  • TV announcers (BTN): Lisa Byington (play-by-play), Anthony Herron (analyst), and Shane Sparks (sidelines)
     
Scoring summary
15:40WMUAnthony Sambucci 64-yard pass from Treyson Bourguet (Palmer Domschke kick)WMU 7–0
28:26IowaDiante Vines 3-yard pass from Cade McNamara (Drew Stevens kick)Tied 7–7
4:45WMUPalmer Domschke 27-yard field goalWMU 10–7
1:29IowaLeshon Williams 25-yard pass from Cade McNamara (Drew Stevens kick)Iowa 14–10
37:30IowaSafety, blocked punt through the end zoneIowa 16–10
4:02IowaKamari Moulton 3-yard run (Erick All pass from Cade McNamara)Iowa 24–10
2:10IowaKamari Moulton 1-yard run (Drew Stevens kick)Iowa 31–10
45:20IowaDrew Stevens 31-yard field goalIowa 34–10
0:30IowaMax White 2-yard run (Drew Stevens kick)Iowa 41–10
Statistics WMU IOWA
First downs 8 19
Total yards 239 387
Rushing yards 117 254
Passing yards 122 133
Turnovers 1 2
Time of possession 26:07 33:53
Team Category Player Statistics
Western Michigan Passing Treyson Bourguet 5/16, 124 yards, TD
Rushing Treyson Bourguet 8 carries, 32 yards
Receiving Kenneth Womack 2 receptions, 11 yards
Iowa Passing Cade McNamara 9/19, 103 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT
Rushing Leshon Williams 12 carries, 145 yards
Receiving Steven Stilianos 2 receptions, 29 yards

at Toledo[edit]

See also: 2023 Toledo Rockets football team

Ball State[edit]

See also: 2023 Ball State Cardinals football team

at Mississippi State[edit]

See also: 2023 Mississippi State Bulldogs football team
Game Six – Western Michigan Broncos (2-3) at Mississippi State Bulldogs (2–3) – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Western Michigan 0 7 14728
Mississippi State 10 7 141041

at Davis Wade Stadium • Starkville, MS

  • Date: Saturday, October 7, 2023
  • Game time: 11:00 a.m. CST
  • Game weather: Sunny, 62 °F (17 °C)
  • Game attendance: 47,158
  • Referee: Scott Walker
  • TV announcers (SECN/ESPN+): Lowell Galindo (play-by-play), Derek Mason (analyst), Taylor Davis (sideline)
Game information
First quarter
  • (10:09) MSST – Kyle Ferrie 31-yard field goal (Drive: 7 plays, 34 yards, 2:45; Mississippi State 3-0)
  • (6:04) MSST – Jordan Mosley 15-yard pass from Will Rogers (Kyle Ferrie kick) (Drive: 5 plays, 54 yards, 2:30; Mississippi State 10-0)
Second quarter
  • (4:03) MSST – Creed Whittemore 16-yard pass from Will Rogers (Kyle Ferrie kick) (Drive: 6 plays, 53 yards, 3:03; Mississippi State 17-0)
  • (0:52) WMU – Austin Hence 10-yard pass from Hayden Wolff (Palmer Dornschke kick) (Drive: 14 plays, 75 yards, 3:11; Mississippi State 17-7)
Third quarter
  • (12:18) MSST – Mike Wright 3-yard run (Kyle Ferrie kick) (Drive: 7 plays, 61 yards, 2:41; Mississippi State 24-7)
  • (8:57) WMU – Blake Bosma 23-yard pass from Hayden Wolff (Palmer Dornschke kick) (Drive: 10 plays, 75 yards, 3:21; Mississippi State 24-14)
  • (6:44) MSST – Seth Davis 5-yard run (Nick Barr-Mira kick) (Drive: 5 plays, 51 yards, 2:12; Mississippi State 31-14)
  • (3:23) WMU – Zahir Abdus-Salaam 11-yard run (Palmer Dornschke kick) (Drive: 9 plays, 75 yards, 3:21; Mississippi State 31-21)
Fourth quarter
  • (12:31) MSST – Freddie Roberson 36-yard pass from Will Rogers (Nick Barr-Mira kick) (Drive: 5 plays, 59 yards, 1:44; Mississippi State 38-21)
  • (10:48) WMU – Leroy Thomas 25-yard pass from Hayden Wolff (Palmer Dornschke kick) (Drive: 5 plays, 75 yards, 1:43; Mississippi State 38-28)
  • (4:12) MSST – Nick Barr-Mira 49-yard field goal (Drive: 6 plays, 26 yards, 2:07; Mississippi State 41-28)
Statistics WMU MSST
First downs 21 25
Total yards 77–413 65–440
Rushing yards 32–116 33–194
Passing yards 297 246
Passing: Comp–Att–Int 33–45–1 23–32–0
Time of possession 28:46 31:14
Team Category Player Statistics
Western Michigan Passing Hayden Wolff 27/35, 262 yards, 3 TD, INT
Rushing Zahir Abdus-Salaam 18 carries, 60 yards, TD
Receiving Kenneth Womack 12 receptions, 113 yards
Mississippi State Passing Will Rogers 16/22, 189 yards, 3 TD
Rushing Seth Davis 10 carries, 65 yards, TD
Receiving Freddie Roberson 5 receptions, 68 yards, TD

Miami (OH)[edit]

See also: 2023 Miami RedHawks football team

at Ohio[edit]

See also: 2023 Ohio Bobcats football team
Western Michigan Broncos (2–5) vs. Ohio Bobcats (5–2)
Period 1 2 34Total
Western Michigan 0 0 10717
Ohio 3 3 7720

at Peden Stadium • Athens, OH

  • Date: Saturday, October 21, 2023
  • Game time: 12:00 p.m. EDT
  • Game weather: sunny
  • Game attendance: 16,048
  • Referee: William Williams
  • TV announcers (CBSSN): Jason Knapp, Russ Tucker
  • Pregame line: Ohio -16.5; O/U 52.0 • Ohio notes, boxscore
Game information
First Quarter
  • (08:49) OHIO - Gianni Spetic 28 yd FG 13 plays, 57 yards, TOP 04:51 (OHIO 3–0)
Second Quarter
  • (00:02) OHIO - Gianni Spetic 19 yd FG 6 plays, 80 yards, TOP 00:37 (OHIO 6–0)
Third Quarter
  • (07:07) WMU - Palmer Domschk 43 yd FG 6 plays, 52 yards, TOP 02:29 (OHIO 6–3)
  • (02:36) OHIO - Sieh Bangura 1 yd run (Gianni Spetic kick) 9 plays, 75 yards, TOP 04:31 (OHIO 13–3)
  • (00:18) WMU - Hayden Wolff 3 yd run (Palmer Domschk kick) 5 plays, 41 yards, TOP 02:07 (OHIO 13–10)
Fourth Quarter
  • (04:36) OHIO - Sam Wiglusz 7 yd pass from Kurtis Rourke (Gianni Spetic kick) 8 plays, 78 yards, TOP 05:05 (OHIO 20–10)
  • (00:18) WMU - Kenneth Womack 8 yd pass from Hayden Wolff (Palmer Domschke Kick) 8 plays, 68 yards, TOP 02:09 (OHIO 20–17)
Statistics Western Michigan Ohio
First downs 21 28
Total yards 369 460
Rushes/yards 22/79 39/185
Passing yards 290 275
Passing: Comp–Att–Int 30–42–1 24–39–0
Time of possession 24:25 35:35
Team Category Player Statistics
Western Michigan Passing Hayden Wolff 30/42, 290 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing CJ Hester 5 rushes, 26 yards
Receiving Kenneth Womack 14 receptions, 90 yards, 1 TD
Ohio Passing Kurtis Rourke 24/39, 275 yards, 1 TD
Rushing Sieh Bangura 15 rushes, 86 yards, 1 TD
Receiving Sam Wiglusz 10 receptions, 155 yards, 1 TD

at Eastern Michigan[edit]

See also: 2023 Eastern Michigan Eagles football team

Central Michigan[edit]

See also: 2023 Central Michigan Chippewas football team

at Northern Illinois[edit]

See also: 2023 Northern Illinois Huskies football team

Bowling Green[edit]

See also: 2023 Bowling Green Falcons football team

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Football Ticket, Game Day & Waldo Stadium Information". Western Michigan Athletics.
  2. ^ "Western Michigan hires Louisville OC Lance Taylor as coach". ESPN.
  3. ^ "MAC College Football Standings - 2023". espn.com. ESPN. Retrieved December 8, 2023.
  4. ^ "MAC football preseason poll: Toledo picked to win conference championship; BGSU tabbed to finish fourth in MAC East". wtol.com. WTOL 11. July 20, 2023. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
  5. ^ "2023 Western Michigan Football Schedule".
  6. ^ "Western Michigan Broncos Schedule 2023/season/2023". ESPN.
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