Bowl loss can’t spoil visit to Houston

Keep your heads up, Broncos. The Wolverines didn’t go bowling this year.

(Robert Youngs / Western Herald) Broncos quarterback Tim Hiller drops back to pass in the fourth quarter as teammate Paul Wasikowski (63) tangles with Rice’s Todd Mohr (91).

And even though the outcome of your little venture down south wasn’t what we wanted, remember it.  A bunch of other teams have been forced to sit and watch bowl games on television all throughout winter break.

So before I go blathering on about next year, let’s reminisce about the highlights of a solid year of Bronco football, which I was privileged to cover as a Western Herald photographer, from beginning to end.

•You didn’t lose a game at home. Well done. Even Central can’t say that, losing with its gold jerseys against Ball State. Bravo to the students as well.  A strong fan presence is going to help when the Chippewas and our friends from Muncie come calling next season.

•Tim Hiller – Enough can’t be said about this guy. Watching Hiller this year was like watching Peyton Manning.  Some of the throws he made this year make next season look really exciting, most notably the first-half bomb to Juan Nunez against Toledo to get back in the game. He even played the last few games with a torn ACL, which calls for more props. Jim Rome better hear about this, because this is nothing but manning up (no pun intended) and leading your team into battle. Hat’s off to Hiller.

•Defense – You can’t win them all, but the defense really shined at times this year. Stopping quarterback Juice Williams and the Illini on fourth down was huge. What a statement.

•Bragging rights – Call me crazy. You beat Buffalo, who made Ball State look like a third grade pee-wee team with all the fumbles they lost.

•Qualified for a bowl game, in a warm climate nonetheless. A break from the frigid doldrums of Michigan is always nice, win or lose.

And that brings me to the Broncos’ defeat at the hands of Rice.

I don’t think the Department of Defense could have stopped them that night. With a bunch of fans at your disposal and playing in your backyard, it’s a huge momentum lift. Playing in the Motor City Bowl for us would have been an equivalent of this phenomenon.

You’ve got nothing to be ashamed of. You played your hardest and sometimes you didn’t get any breaks. I’ve seen my share of football and have seen this phenomenon before.

I’m sure it also seemed like a glorified home game for the Owls and I hope I’m not the only one who felt that way. Whenever USC plays in the Rose Bowl Game it’s probably the same feeling for their opposition, with the majority of that place wearing Cardinal red and Gold on New Year’s Day.

You also got to visit a beautiful city. Observing the Houston skyline descending in from 36,000 feet was nothing short of spectacular.  There were also some really cool people on the media committee and I can’t thank them enough for all they did for us. Palm trees and shorts was a nice treat in December, so I hope you took advantage of it, because I sure did.

All in all, a great year.  No one wants to go out on a bowl loss, especially the seniors. But you are all helping this football program get on the map. You’ll be missed next season.

Next season will open to the tune of “Hail to the Victors” and 100,000 plus fans in Ann Arbor. Hold on to your butts. For those of you who’ve visited Michigan Stadium before, you know what I’m talking about. When that many people are screaming at you for a false start penalty, it’s hard not to be intimidated.
But the “Big House” has been broken in recent memory. Appalachian State started the festivities in 2007, with Utah and Toledo jumping on the wagon of party crashers in 2008.
Our beloved Broncos will also face Michigan State at Ford Field next season, which will be no walk in the park with their resurgence over the last two seasons.
I’m proud to be a part of this. It’s been a real treat to watch good football at this institution. And, from what I’ve seen, it’s going to get better.
Congratulations to the coaching staff and the players on a fine season. You have a lot to look forward to and a lot to be proud of from this  season. This fall should be a really wild ride.

Robert Youngs, a Western Herald photographer, is a junior majoring in journalism and can be reached via e-mail at robert.c.youngs@wmich.edu.

Short URL: http://www.westernherald.com/?p=2928

Posted by HeraldAdmin on Jan 5 2009. Filed under Sports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry

Cody Kimball
Web Manager: I'm a Communication Student at WMU, a SCUBA Diver, Boater, Ordained Minister, Notary Public, Web Designer, Film Maker, DJ, and of course a Journalist. Born and raised in Port Huron, MI and a graduate of SC4. http://www.codykimball.com