Broncos start critical MAC stretch at Northern Illinois

By Mike Feld
Western Herald

(Chyn Wey Lee/Western Herald) Western Michigan University quarterback Tim Hiller steps back in the pocket against Hofstra University last Saturday night.

Through the first four weeks of the season, Western Michigan University has learned a lot about its football team, which came out of it 2‑2 against some tough competition.

This week, the learning curve is over.

The Broncos will look to go 2‑0 in the Mid‑American Conference this week as it returns to the road to face MAC West rival Northern Illinois University (2‑2, 0‑0 MAC). It is the first game in a four‑week stretch against the top competition in the conference, including rival Central Michigan University.

“This is a tough stretch now,” head coach Bill Cubit said. “We got some difficult challenges ahead of us.”

The Broncos ended the first third of its season last Saturday, with a 24‑10 victory over Division I Football Conference Series opponent Hofstra University. Although expectations included a Bronco blowout, Cubit will gladly accept the extra digit in the victory column.

“It was a win,” Cubit said. “I think in college football anymore, it is so hard to win. You’re really fortunate to get a win.”

After a tightly‑contested matchup with the Pride of Hofstra, another past‑FCS opponent of the Broncos came up in discussions: Southern Illinois University.
In 2005, WMU narrowly escaped a home upset by SIU, winning 34‑28. While reminders of that game blossomed during the Hofstra matchup, it’s only one of the reasons why that game has come up this week.

The other reason is Jerry Kill.

The second‑year head coach of Northern Illinois led SIU on that near fateful night for WMU in 2005. Kill returned to Waldo Stadium on Sept. 6 of last season, and put on a repeat performance. But WMU once again pulled off a victory, 29‑26.

The Broncos have won three consecutive contests over Northern Illinois, but have only done so by a combined nine points. WMU knocked off the Huskies 16‑14 at home in 2006 and 17‑13 in DeKalb, Ill. in 2007 before last year’s win.

WMU will hope those fortunes will continue in DeKalb, Ill. this week. For that to be the case, the Brown and Gold will have its work cut out for them.

(Photo courtesy of Scott Walstrom/ NIU Media Services) Northern Illinois University running back Me’co Brown is second in the MAC averaging 94.2 yards per game this season.

The Huskies dropped a 34‑31 decision to the University of Idaho last week, but nearly pulled off a comeback victory in the closing minutes. Northern Illinois did muster a 28‑21 win over Big Ten Conference opponent Purdue University on Sept. 19 in West Lafayette, Ind.

Last season, the Huskies were led by its defense, which included defensive end Larry English. But the 2007 MAC Player of the Year and 2008 Defensive Player of the Year graduated and was drafted in the first round of the NFL Draft by the San Diego Chargers.

Now, it’s the offensive side of the ball where the Huskies make its plays.

Redshirt sophomore Chandler Harnish leads the way under center. Although Harnish has not had a lot of chances to air the ball out, he’s flourished when doing so. He has only thrown the ball 87 times (Bronco senior quarterback Tim Hiller has 153 attempts), completing 57 tries, or 65.5 percent. Harnish also has five touchdowns through the air.

“He hasn’t played that much, really,” Kill said of Harnish. “He’s way ahead of the learning curve. He’s played very well.”

However, WMU will be keeping a close eye on what happens if he doesn’t find an open receiver right away.

“He’s a pretty good runner,” Cubit said. “They can run the power run game with him in the back end.”

Harnish hasn’t racked up as many passes as most quarterbacks this season because he really hasn’t had to. Running back Me’co Brown has carried the load.
Brown is currently second in the MAC with 94.2 yards per game. Brown has 377 total rushing yards this season, and has crossed the goal line three times. Against Purdue, Brown exploded for 150 yards on the ground.

But the matchup when the Broncos have the ball might be the difference in the game. The Huskies are very aware of what the Hiller‑led WMU offense can do, and understand that might be the key to victory.

“I think the biggest concern is the quarterback,” Kill said. “I think he’s special, and I think he has a chance to play at the next level. Without a doubt, he has a strong arm and can throw it all over the place.“

On paper, however, this is a very even matchup. As a team, NIU is at or near almost every conference statistical category as WMU.

The potent Husky offense ranks third in the MAC with 30 points per game, just ahead of WMU’s 24.5 points per game, which ranks fourth. The teams are tied with 22.5 points allowed, tied for third‑best in the MAC.

The Broncos sit third with 25 yards per kickoff return, right in front of the Huskies’ 24.9. While Western Michigan averages 365.2 yards per game of offense, NIU is right behind with 325.8, good enough for third and fifth best, respectively.

On the same token, NIU and WMU sit toward the bottom of pass defense, as NIU (10th) allows 220 yards per game and WMU (11th) has given up 233.2 yards per game through the air. However, on the ground, there is no comparison. Led by Brown, NIU has 188 yards per game, good for first in the MAC. WMU has scraped out 94 yards per game — 10th best in the conference.

But when the ball is kicked off on Saturday, everything on paper is thrown out. It’s about playing one game against a tough conference foe.

“It’s a great opportunity,” WMU sophomore cornerback Deshon Lawerence said. “It’s always a great opportunity to [compete] in MAC play. It’s a great opportunity to get better; to put yourself in a great position to have a great season. But coach always preaches that you’ve got to take one game at a time.”

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Posted by heraldstaff on Sep 30 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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