Broncos drop much needed win to Kent State, 26-14

By Mike Feld
Western Herald

(Chyn Wey Lee/Western Herald) WMU freshman wide receiver Trey Smith makes a catch while being covered by Buffalo’s Mike Netwon on Oct. 24. Smith had four catches for 41 yards in Saturday’s game against Kent State.

It was an important game for both teams; Kent State University still has a chance to head to the Mid‑American Conference title game and Western Michigan University is looking to make it to a postseason bowl game.

This Halloween, the only thing scary for the Broncos is that its season might be slipping away.

Western Michigan fell to the Golden Flashes, 26‑14, on Saturday afternoon for its fifth loss of the season. WMU is now 4‑5 overall (3‑3 MAC) and will likely need to win all three of its remaining home contests to qualify for a second consecutive bowl game.

KSU racked up 477 yards of offense, mostly through the air. Freshman quarterback Spencer Keith was 24‑of‑34 for 373 yards. Running back Jacquise Terry also rushed for 90 yards.

On the Bronco end, senior quarterback Tim Hiller went 31‑of‑49 for 255 yards and two touchdowns. Hiller now has 92 passing touchdowns, which is only six shy of Chad Pennington’s MAC record 100.

The Brown and Gold limped into Dix Stadium, as junior receivers Juan Nunez and Jordan White and senior linebacker Austin Pritchard were all held out due to injury.

The Golden Flashes put its first points on the board in the opening drive, capping a 14‑play, 6:03 drive with a field goal. But it was Western Michigan crossing the goal line first, as Hiller found wideout Ansel Ponder from two yards out. WMU led 7‑3, but the advantage wouldn’t last.

After another KSU field goal, Tyshon Goode made the first of his two touchdown grabs late in the second quarter. Goode connected with Keith from 34 yards out to give the Flashes a 13‑7 lead at the half.

Goode picked up another touchdown less than three minutes into the second half, and suddenly the Broncos were 20‑7. The Broncos were held scoreless in the third quarter, but reached pay dirt again in the final stanza.

(Chyn Wey Lee/Western Herald) WMU junior strong safety Jamail Berry intercepts a pass against Buffalo on Oct. 24. Berry recorded nine tackles, eight solo, against Kent State on Saturday.

Off of a Kent State turnover, Hiller found Robert Arnheim from nine yards out to close the gap to 20‑14. However, it wasn’t enough.

The Golden Flashes sealed the win on the next possession, as Terry rushed into the end zone from 15 yards out.

With a 26‑14 advantage and only five minutes to work with, the Broncos’ fate had been sealed.

The spirits of the third down curse that plagued the Broncos in 2008 returned to haunt WMU on Halloween. KSU converted 10 of its 14 chances on third down and only punted once.

But Western Michigan did have its chances. The Broncos spent 30:32 of the 60 minutes on the offensive side of the ball, but battled one of the top defensive teams in the conference.

WMU will now head to East Lansing for a meeting with Michigan State University.

MSU knows what the Broncos are feeling right now, as the Spartans have an identical 4‑5 record and lost its game on Saturday to the University of Minnesota.
Both teams will be looking to keep postseason hopes alive, but the Broncos may have a little bit of history on its side.

WMU is 2‑0 in November games against Big Ten Conference foes against Bill Cubit, and have a victory over a BCS conference team in three consecutive years.

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Posted by heraldstaff on Nov 1 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

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