Broncos carry momentum to Idaho

By Adam Bouton
Western Herald

Senior wide reciever Jamarko Simmons caught eight passes for 102 yards and one touchdown in the Broncos’ 29-26 victory over Northern Illinois University.

The Western Michigan University football team will take their first win of the season and head west.
Following a narrow 29-26 victory over Mid-American Conference rival Northern Illinois University, the Broncos will travel to Moscow, Idaho to face off in a non-conference showdown against the University of Idaho. Western Michigan won their only previous meeting, defeating the Vandals 27-16 on November 18, 1972.

The Broncos (1-1, 1-0 MAC) come away from last weekend with a much needed victory in the young 2008 season.  More importantly, they have some momentum heading into the next game.

“It was huge,” Broncos head coach Bill Cubit said of the victory against Northern Illinois. “That was a game we had to win. We got to get on a roll like we did two years ago.”

“Northern Illinois is always a tough game,” senior defensive end Zach Davidson added.  “Starting off 1-0 in the MAC is a plus.”

There were several aspects of the game that Cubit liked, but he also reiterated that the team has several areas to work on as well.

“The biggest concern I had was missed tackles,” Cubit stressed. “We got to straighten that out.”

Another problem Cubit would like his squad to clean up are the turnovers, especially the fumbles.

“We’ve had three fumbles in two games,” Cubit said. “You should never fumble. If we don’t fix them (the problems) in the next two weeks, it’s going to be a tough road. You can’t turn it on and off during the season.”

Many of the things that Cubit liked came on the offensive side of the ball. Knowing that his presence on offense is important, Cubit liked the fact that wide receiver Jamarko Simmons was effective in the game against NIU.

“It was good to see Jamarko out there running around again like he has,” Cubit said.

Simmons looked healthy enough against the Huskies, as he hauled in eight catches for 102 yards and a touchdown. The muscle problem in his hip that had plagued him for weeks looked to be nonexistent in the first home game for the Brown and Gold.

Another bright spot on offense was the play of junior running back Brandon West and his help up front from the offensive line. The young line held NIU without a sack all day and helped open holes for West as he ran for a career-high 175 yards on 25 carries.

“I really liked the way we ran the ball,” Cubit said.

Cubit was also impressed with the play of senior free safety Louis Delmas, who was named MAC West Defensive Player of the Week for his play against Northern Illinois.  Delmas came off his second straight game with 10 tackles, recovered a key fumble late in the game and also registered his second interception in as many games.

“He’s a pretty good player,” Cubit said jokingly. “He just excites the guys on the sidelines with some of his hits and play.  He’s a special kid.”

Coming off a big conference win in just the second week, Cubit and the Broncos are focused at the task ahead. Cubit believes it’s easy to lose focus, especially when traveling to Idaho. But he also believes his players won’t let that happen.

“This week’s important,” Cubit said. “This will tell us where we’re going. I think our kids understand the importance of this game here.”

The Broncos will travel to Moscow, Idaho and play in the Kibbie Dome, which holds just 16,000 fans. It’s a place that could be tough to play in, especially for the visiting Broncos.

“I guess there’s a little mystique out there,” Cubit said, responding to the mystery surrounding what the dome is like to play in. “When they play in the dome, they play pretty well.”

Idaho (1-1) is also coming of their first win of the season. The Vandals, playing out of the Western Athletic Conference, lost their first game of the season to the University of Arizona, 70-0, but shook the game off quickly. Last Saturday, the Vandals out-rushed and out-played their interstate rival Idaho State University to capture the win 42-27. The Vandals churned out 261 yards on the ground, led by sophomore running back Deonte` Jackson, who had 100 yards and a touchdown on just 12 carries.

The Vandals Offensive Player of the Year as a freshman in 2007, Jackson rushed for 1,175 yards last season and has paced the Vandals this season with 125 yards through two games.  Joining Jackson in the young backfield is sophomore quarterback Dan Enderle.  Enderle, who led the Vandals in passing yards and touchdowns as a freshman, is coming off an effective game against Idaho State, as he threw for 170 yards and three touchdowns (one rushing) on 8-for-12 passing. Another talent on offense is sophomore receiver Maurice Shaw, who caught a 77-yard touchdown strike from Enderle on the first play from scrimmage against Idaho State.

The Vandals have some experience to put between the young skill players and the Bronco defense. Offensive captain, four-year starter and senior center Adam Korby leads the offensive line that has several returning starters.

Leading the defense for the Vandals is junior safety and defensive captain Shiloh Keo, who currently leads the Vandals with 15 tackles through two games. The secondary looks to be one of the strong points for the Vandals, as sophomore cornerback Isaac Butts came away with two interceptions and WAC Defensive Player of the Week honors last week.  Another important starter for Idaho on defense is sophomore linebacker Jonathan Faraimo, who is currently second on the team with 14 tackles and as a freshman was tied for first on the team with 4 sacks.

Davidson speaks for the team when he says  they’re not going to look past or underestimate Idaho.
“Honestly, it doesn’t matter where we go to play,” Davidson said. “If we’re playing in Alaska, Idaho, Florida, it doesn’t matter. Anybody can beat anybody on any given day.”

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Posted by HeraldAdmin on Sep 11 2008. 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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