Western Michigan and their “row the boat” mantra didn’t quite reach the lofty preseason goals they had set for themselves, but it’s hard to feel to bad for PJ Fleck’s Broncos since their consolation prize is a trip to the Bahamas to play Middle Tennessee in the Popeyes Bahamas Bowl on Christmas Eve. This contest has all the makings of a shootout, as Western Michigan brings the 26th ranked passing attack in the nation led by the dynamic duo of Daniel Braverman and Corey Davis. The Blue Raiders boast the nation’s 17th passing attack led by freshman phenom Brent Stockstill. Here are the five things that must happen for the Broncos to pull off the victory.
#1: Pressure Stockstill
Its difficult to overstate how impressive Brent Stockstill has been this season. The freshman has been a cool customer behind center while throwing for an incredible 3,678 yards and 27 touchdowns. Stockstill has played especially well during Middle Tennessee’s four game win streak to close out the season. He has completed 67% of his passes for 1,233 yards while throwing nine touchdowns versus just two interceptions. As good as Stockstill has been, he has still shown a tendency to make poor decisions when pressured, such as his less than stellar performances against Alabama and Louisiana Tech. Western Michigan will have to find a way to get more of a pass rush than they have had all season (just 14 sacks through 12 games) or else Stockstill will have ample time to pick apart a good but not great Bronco secondary. Starting defensive ends Jarell McKinney and Andre Turner, who have combined for just 2.5 sacks this season, will need to step up.
#2: Feed the dynamic duo
Only one team in all of college football has two receivers in the top 10 nationally in receiving yards, and that team is the Western Michigan Broncos. Daniel Braverman and Corey Davis rank 9th and 10th in the nation this season. Davis, at 6’3″ and 205 pounds, is a bigger receiver with all the tools to be an NFL player in a year or two. Braverman is only 5’10” but just always seems to get open, ranking 2nd in the nation with 103 catches. These two look primed for a big performance against a Middle Tennessee secondary that gives up 247 passing yards per game and was shredded by Western Kentucky for 428 passing yards and six touchdowns.
#3: But don’t forget about your talented trio at running back
2015 was supposed to be the Jarvion Franklin show when Western Michigan had the ball, as the sophomore was coming off a stellar freshman season in which he had rushed for 1,551 yards and 24 touchdowns. Surprisingly, head coach PJ Fleck decided to go with a running back by committee approach, splitting carries between Franklin and freshmen Jamauri Bogan and LeVante Bellamy. Its hard to argue with the results, as the trio has combined for 2,004 rushing yards and 19 touchdowns. The 5’7″ Bogan (836 yards 12 touchdowns) has been the best of the bunch, but the whole group will need to perform well against a solid Blue Raiders front seven that allows just 141 rushing yards per game.
#4: Take Care of the Football
Middle Tennessee is one of the better teams in the nation when it comes to forcing turnovers, as the Blue Raiders have 24 takeaways on the season. 16 of those takeaways have resulted from interceptions, so junior quarterback Zach Terrell will need to be cautious when dropping back to pass. Terrell has been solid this season, throwing 27 touchdowns while tossing just eight interceptions, but its hard to forget his two ugly performances to start the season in which the junior tossed five interceptions against Michigan State and Georgia Southern.
#5: Play with Passion
As stated above, there were high hopes for the Broncos in year three of the PJ Fleck regime, but the Broncos regressed from their breakout 2014 season and struggled against the better teams on their schedule (3-5 against teams that finished the year with a winning record). Western Michigan salvaged their season with an upset over 24th ranked Toledo. The win marked the Broncos first ever victory over a ranked opponent and gave the Broncos a share of the MAC West division title. The Broncos will need to be wary of resting on their laurels and coming out flat on Christmas Eve. A slow start against Middle Tennessee’s quick strike offense and opportunistic defense could spell disaster.
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