Bronco football kicks-off 2010 season with media day

By Chris Willis
Western Herald

It’s that time of year again.

The Bronco football season is officially underway as Western Michigan University hosted its annual media day at the Bill Brown Alumni Football Center and Seelye Athletic Center on Saturday, Aug. 14.

WMU head coach Bill Cubit addressed the media along with three of his players.

Before the team photo session, senior safety Jamail Berry, senior guard Phil Swanson and sophomore quarterback Alex Carder had lunch with the media and then answered questions about the upcoming season.

The season begins on Sept. 4 in East Lansing, when the Broncos face the Michigan State University Spartans.

The Brown and Gold also played last year’s opening game on the road against another Big Ten foe, the University of Michigan Wolverines.

That experience hopes to pay dividends this year.

“We have to treat it the same as any other game,” Berry said.

“We know what to expect, you just can’t be overwhelmed when you come into situations like that. Whether it’s Notre Dame, Michigan State, or whatever team, we have the mindset to get one thing accomplished, and that’s to win.”

WMU boasts a veteran squad this year. The team returns 15 starters, 34 letter-winners, and four 2009 All-MAC team selectees.

That veteran experience and leadership earned the Broncos two first-place votes in the Mid-American Conference Pre-Season Media Poll.

Overall, the team was picked to finish the season third behind the pre-season favorite, the University of Temple Owls, and WMU’s hated rivals, the Central Michigan University Chippewas.

The team has 12 seniors trying to make the best out of their last attempt at a MAC Championship.

“This is the final go-around for me, [Nick] Clemens and [Nick] Mitchell. We all came in together five years ago and time really goes fast,” Swanson said. “This is kind of our make or break season, our last chance.”

“Obviously we’ve done everything in the off-season that we can do to prepare these young guys and prepare ourselves to make a great run at the MAC Championship.”

Even with all of the returning talent, it’s tough to overlook the fact that Tim Hiller will no longer be starting center for the Broncos.

Sophomore Alex Carder has been named the starting quarterback for the 2010 campaign.

He’s a polar-opposite of Tim Hiller. When coach Cubit was asked of the differences between Hiller and Carder, he simply held up his hands as far apart as he could get them, looked both ways and simply said “there you go.”

Carder is more of a mobile quarterback that likes to get outside of the pocket and rush the ball if need be.

“It hasn’t been a huge adjustment as far as changing schemes or anything like that.” Swanson said.

“You just have to know sometimes that he’s [Carder]  going to be in different spots. He’s not going to be in the pocket all the time, he’s gonna be rolling out, he gonna be making plays with his feet that Hiller didn’t make just by the nature of his athletic ability.”

After speaking with Carder it becomes apparent that he carries himself confidently. He appears as if he enjoys every moment of the learning curve, and is excited to get the season started.

“I like to run the football. It’s one of the things that I look forward to being a quarterback,” Carder said.

“But I also need to continue to do all of the things that Hiller did as a quarterback. I have to make every play that he made from a passing standpoint, but I’m going to make some plays with my feet too.”

Wide receiver Juan Nunez Jr. is also returning for his senior season. He was injured most of last year and only played in six games. Despite his absence, he still led the team with six receiving touchdowns.

“My main focus this year is [to] go out there and make plays but my number one goal is to stay healthy,” Nunez said.

“I’ve been battling injuries over the last couple of years  but I’m going to go out there and work as hard as I normally do, and when the ball is in the air go out there and make plays to help my teammates out.”

WMU football has a great chance to make this season memorable.

The trailblazing Broncos will get to accomplish something this year that will be a first in MAC history.

On Oct. 16, the team will become the first MAC school in conference history to make a visit to South Bend, Ind. where they’ll face the University of Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

As the Mid-American Conference gains more prominence with each passing year, its teams will continue to face upper-echelon opponents on a regular basis.

“The administration did a great job in securing that game,” Cubit said. “I give a lot of credit to Notre Dame, but really to our people for securing it.”

“If you’ve ever been there, you go in the locker room and you just think of everyone who has ever been in that room. It’s a great experience, it really is. I always tell my kids would you rather play Southwest Kansas State or Notre Dame? For those kids, they’ll remember this for the rest of their lives, and that’s what this is all about. I think that’s pretty special. And I’m excited for my first time as a head coach going down there.”

Right now the team is in training camp and in the midst of two-a-days, but two short weeks from this Saturday, the season will be in full swing.

It’s time to gear up Bronco fans.

This year will be very exciting, and the team needs the support of every student, parent, faculty member, and fan to make this season special.

The Broncos won the MAC Championship in 1966 and 1988. I’m no math major, but if my calculations are correct, we’re due to win it this year also.

So let’s make it happen, because our time is now.

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Posted by HeraldAdmin on Aug 15 2010. 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
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