Sunday, August 31, 2008

Graham Couch, Lincoln Nebraska


Disadvantages pile up for Western Michigan University in football
'mecca'
by Graham Couch
Kalamazoo Gazette column
Sunday August 31, 2008, 12:26 AM


LINCOLN, Neb.Less than 24 hours before Saturday night's game, Western Michigan University's football equipment sat in a modest rental truck on a dark side street just outside Memorial Stadium.
A day earlier, Broncos coach Bill Cubit couldn't help but poke fun at the situation as student managers loaded their "Two Men and a Truck" from Waldo Stadium.
"Wonder what they'll think (at Nebraska) when we pull up with that?" Cubit joked.
At the Nebraskas of the college football world, of course, the equipment trucks are owned, not rented, and have fancy team logos on their sides.
The lack of financial equality between WMU and Nebraska, it shouldn't be forgotten, is why the Broncos found themselves on hostile turf at Memorial Stadium Saturday night -- forced to open up against a program that hasn't lost its opener since 1985.
Technically, Nebraska won, 47-24. Really, the final score should read: Nebraska 1-0, WMU $800,000.
Because for all the hopes of fans and hype provided by members of the media, Saturday was about a payday for the university -- a football program doing its duty for the sake of the athletic department.
47-24 -- that's what happens when mid-level programs, no matter their experience and perceived talent, walk into one of the "meccas" of college football, as Cubit called it.
Played on a random 100-yard patch of grass anywhere outside of the Big Red state, maybe, on the right day, WMU vs. Nebraska is a game worth watching in the fourth quarter.
But that's not how this works. The Cornhuskers won't be returning this one to Waldo Stadium next year (They don't even take to the road this year until Oct. 11).
The Broncos didn't play their best game Saturday. They needed an uneventful first quarter as much as they needed a quick start.
Instead, behind bad field position, shaky early play from quarterback Tim Hiller, an unlikely turnover by running back Brandon West and a defense that -- aside from a few whacks by Louis Delmas -- looked out of its league, they found themselves behind 17-0 10 seconds into the second quarter.
WMU made a bevy of first-half mistakes -- from off-target passes, to shallow punts and kickoffs, to failing to wrap up Nebraska quarterback Joe Ganz when, at rare times, he was with in its grasp.
Those things can't happen, no matter how unfair the circumstance and venue, if you hope to be Boise State of 2006 or Hawaii of 2007.
Nebraska was simply better than its billing -- its quarterback and defense more formidable than realized.
Still, there's good news for Western Michigan of 2008.
Unlike a year ago, when Saturday would have only been the beginning of a death-march nonleague stretch, a league game at home against Northern Illinois is next.
The Broncos' only other BCS foe, Illinois, is two months away and the game's at Ford Field -- in what the college football higher-ups tout as a home game for the little guy, even if it's 140 miles from the little guy's home.
Most importantly, Saturday's result doesn't count in the Mid-American Conference standings.
"The tough part about this is for the fourth straight year you go into an environment that is a little bit hard," Cubit said after the loss. "The kids get all geeked up and ready to go, and we didn't handle it well (as we could have)."
WMU did show a bit of gumption Saturday, fighting back close enough to challenge the two-touchdown spread in the fourth quarter.
And, after playing in front of more than 84,000 rabid Cornhuskers, the Broncos can afford to gas up their equipment truck for the ride home.

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Get to the Game




Tuesday, August 26, 2008

TOP TEN THINGS WE LOVE ABOUT COLLGE FOOTBALL OF COLLEGE FOOTBALL

http://www.legendofcecilioguante.com/2008/08/preseason-top-10-things-we-love-about.html

Monday, August 25, 2008

One Week Prior Prediction

What Could and Should be for WMU
by
Mr. W

8/25/08 9:54 PM

There are 6 days left until kickoff of the first Saturday of College Football and the wires are filled with predictions, must sees, and sure bets. It is nice to see the MAC get some well deserved coverage, even if everyone says CMU already has the MAC championship wrapped up. All signs point to Ball State being the only challenger for the CMU. We will see. WMU leads up to Central with a pretty light schedule bar the Nebraska game. Other than the Huskers, the biggest challenge will be Ohio on home coming weekend. Prior to this game the Broncos face a the bottom of last years WAC conference in Idaho and also a lowly Tennessee Tech team before heading into their conference play against perennial MAC bottom feeders Buffalo and Temple. However, both of these teams have made strides in the past two seasons under the helm of new head coaches and may be poised to bring more than expected to the grid iron this year.

Western Michigan starts the season against a team with a storied past and grand football tradition in Nebraska. Yet this is also a Nebraska team that escaped embarrassment last year in their first contest against another MAC foe narrowly beating Ball State 41- 40. There is a chance for quite a momentum builder For the Broncos by taking this first game of the season. Another great opportunity will be when facing the Big Ten’s Illinois who will be coming off a bye week on which they may have spent more time preparing for the next weeks opponent, Ohio State. This forward looking may cause the Illini to underestimate the Broncos, especially if the run defense returns to its former self. If at this point in the season the Broncos are doing as well as they should be, they will face a Ball State team coming off a hard fought game against the Chippewas and WMU could be poised for yet another victory helped by circumstance and their own momentum.

Thursday, August 21, 2008

Thoughts from Thursday's WMU football scrimmage: A few new playmakers in the mix
Posted by Graham Couch Kalamazoo Gazette blog August 14, 2008 23:27PM
Categories:
Broncos Football


KALAMAZOO -- Preseason scrimmages aren't very useful for getting a feel for a team as a whole. That's not the point of them, at least under Western Michigan coach Bill Cubit.
I mean, we all know what Jamarko Simmons is capable of doing. Same goes for Brandon West and Louis Delmas, etc.
What was learned at Thursday's scrimmage is that WMU has a few playmakers it didn't a year ago.
First, freshman running backs Jamie Simpson and Aaron Winchester are ready to contribute. Simpson, down from 237 in high school to about 220, is strong, fast enough and a fluid runner. He finished with eight carries for 31 yards and a 7-yard touchdown and seems to have a knack for finding the crease and adding to it.
Winchester is very quick and has good instincts in the open field. He's also a more powerful runner than his 5-foot-6, 190-pound frame would suggest (he's not even close to 5-9, as he's listed). He rushed five times for 41 yards and, like Simpson, looks ready for this level. Both players have been solid in pass protection, Cubit said, which is usually an issue for freshman running backs. In practice, I've seen Winchester stick pass rushers with quite a bit of oomph.
Winchester was wrapped up by reserve safety Vernon Stewart while trying to juke Stewart on the outside. He'll learn that he can't dance as much in Division I as he could in high school.
Dervon Wallace also looked good -- and fast. His wheel-around and sprint to the end zone on a 36-yard TD catch showed a knack for the big play. And with Deshon Lawrence yet to take control of the fifth receiver position, the former defensive back (he made the move this week) may be the guy, if he can master enough of the offense in the next two weeks.
Former linebacker Anthony Williams appears to be a find at tight end -- look for a feature on Williams in the Gazette and at mlive.com/broncos in the next few days.
Williams had two catches for 16 yards Thursday, including a 12-yard gain on third-and-12 where he didn't give up on the play even as quarterback Robert Arnheim had to step up from the pocket. Williams is going to play a ton and WMU is fortunate that this has worked out so well. After Branden Ledbetter and Matt Stevens, the Broncos were in search of another productive tight end.
As for the quarterbacks, and the battle for the backup job, that's addressed in this story.
To me, both did what they do well: Drew Burdi has the better arm and the best deep ball of any of the QBs; Robert Arnheim makes things happen when things break down.
We might know more after next Tuesday's scrimmage.
Lastly, redshirt freshman punter Ben Armer is a weapon. This kid booted kicks of 50, 58, 24, 52, 42 and 46 yards Tuesday.
As for kicker John Potter (I finally saw him kick Wednesday -- and Thursday), the leg is there and so's the accuracy from short range. And, I think once he settles in, he'll be consistent from 40 and beyond, too. He's already an upgrade from last season in all facets.
Tags: Aaron Winchester, Anthony Williams, Dervon Wallace, Drew Burdi, Jamie Simpson, Robert Arnheim
A More Reserved Second Scrimmage for WMU Football

Courtesy: Mat Kanan, director of athletic media relations

Release: 08/19/2008

Michigan football held its second and final scrimmage of the preseason on Tuesday afternoon with most of the reserves handling most of the snaps. The defense pinned backs its ears for most of the afternoon, accounting for 8.0 sacks and a interception return for a touchdown off a tipped pass.
Tim Hiller worked very lightly during Tuesday afternoon's scrimmage. He led an opening drive for a score when he found tight end Chad Baliko in the back of the end zone. Later in scoring zone drills, Hiller connected with Deshon Lawrence for an 18-yard score on fourth down.
Robert Arnheim and Alex Carder worked most of the afternoon with ARnheim completing 5-of-11 passes for 17 yards and Carder making good on half of his attempts for 65 yards and a touchdown. His scoring toss lofted over the defender and into the arms of Patrick Lefere in the corner of the end zone 37 yards later.
WMU's defense acted, well like WMU's defense. Six different defenders account for at least half of a sack with Greg Marshall registering 2.5 sacks and Zach Davidson accounting to 2.0 sacks of his own. Also joining in were Matt Pickens, Justin Braska and Shaun Vernon with a sack apiece and Fernand Kashama with a half a sack.
Londen Fryar scored on a pick screen when fellow senior Nick Varcadipane tipped an attempted screen pass right to the waiting cornerback.
During field goal drills, John Potter made good on his first two attempts but the line broke through on the third for a block. Harrison Porter recovered the fumble and looked to be heading down the sideline for a score. Potter cleaned up by finishing the play with a text book tackle, much to the delight of the fans in attendance.
Western Michigan will have one more two-a-day session on Wednesday followed by a night practice under the lights on Thursday and a morning practice on Friday before breaking camp. Preparation for Nebraska officially begins on Sunday, Aug. 24 as game week is upon us.
Coach Cubit's first press luncheon of the season will be available to all Bronco Insider subscribers on Tuesday afternoon (Aug. 26). A transcript of the press conference will be available on www.wmubroncos.com on Tuesday afternoon as well.
A More Reserved Second Scrimmage for WMU Football

Courtesy: Mat Kanan, director of athletic media relations

Release: 08/19/2008

Michigan football held its second and final scrimmage of the preseason on Tuesday afternoon with most of the reserves handling most of the snaps. The defense pinned backs its ears for most of the afternoon, accounting for 8.0 sacks and a interception return for a touchdown off a tipped pass.
Tim Hiller worked very lightly during Tuesday afternoon's scrimmage. He led an opening drive for a score when he found tight end Chad Baliko in the back of the end zone. Later in scoring zone drills, Hiller connected with Deshon Lawrence for an 18-yard score on fourth down.
Robert Arnheim and Alex Carder worked most of the afternoon with ARnheim completing 5-of-11 passes for 17 yards and Carder making good on half of his attempts for 65 yards and a touchdown. His scoring toss lofted over the defender and into the arms of Patrick Lefere in the corner of the end zone 37 yards later.
WMU's defense acted, well like WMU's defense. Six different defenders account for at least half of a sack with Greg Marshall registering 2.5 sacks and Zach Davidson accounting to 2.0 sacks of his own. Also joining in were Matt Pickens, Justin Braska and Shaun Vernon with a sack apiece and Fernand Kashama with a half a sack.
Londen Fryar scored on a pick screen when fellow senior Nick Varcadipane tipped an attempted screen pass right to the waiting cornerback.
During field goal drills, John Potter made good on his first two attempts but the line broke through on the third for a block. Harrison Porter recovered the fumble and looked to be heading down the sideline for a score. Potter cleaned up by finishing the play with a text book tackle, much to the delight of the fans in attendance.
Western Michigan will have one more two-a-day session on Wednesday followed by a night practice under the lights on Thursday and a morning practice on Friday before breaking camp. Preparation for Nebraska officially begins on Sunday, Aug. 24 as game week is upon us.
Coach Cubit's first press luncheon of the season will be available to all Bronco Insider subscribers on Tuesday afternoon (Aug. 26). A transcript of the press conference will be available on www.wmubroncos.com on Tuesday afternoon as well.

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

W. M. U. Football - 2008 Schedule

Date/ Opponent /Location /Time (EST)/ TV

Sat, Aug 30 /Nebraska at Lincoln, Neb./ 7 p.m. /FSN Pay-Per-View


Sat, Sep 06 /Northern Illinois, /at Kalamazoo/ 7 p.m.


Sat, Sep 13/ Idaho,/ at Moscow, Idaho /5 p.m.


Sat, Sep 20 /Tennessee Tech, /at Kalamazoo /7 p.m.


Sat, Sep 27 /Temple,/ at Philadelphia /2 p.m.


Sat, Oct 04 /Ohio, /at Kalamazoo /2 p.m.


Sat, Oct 11 /Buffalo,/ at Buffalo, N.Y./ 3:30 p.m./ Time Warner Cable SportsNet


Sat, Oct 18 /Central Michigan, /at Mt. Pleasant /12 p.m. /ESPN+


Sat, Nov 01 /Eastern Michigan, /at Kalamazoo /2 p.m.

Sat, Nov 08 /Illinois /at Detroit,(Ford Field) /12 p.m. /ESPN+


Sat, Nov 15/ Toledo, /at Kalamazoo, /2 p.m.



Tue, Nov 25 Ball State/ at Muncie, Ind. /6 p.m. /ESPN360



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Monday, August 18, 2008

Of Interest

Other Places to check out.

http://thequad.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/06/23/the-quad-countdown-no-67-western-michigan/#comment-40361

http://westernmichigan.rivals.com/default.asp

http://mgoblog.com/

http://www.autumnthunder.blogspot.com/





AP Rankings Released

by Mr. W

The college rankings have come out and the AP poll has 5 SEC teams in the top 10. The SEC is getting a big boost as a conference due to the fact that the have the winningest group of head coaches in the country. However, with regard to the rest of the rankings I have a hard time putting too much weight behind this initial poll. First of all pre season ranking has always been a little suspect in my eyes. With only several practices and inter squad scrimmages under their belts the evaluation process is based highly on hype and returning players. Second of all after last years rendition of musical chairs with the top 5 spots the idea that any prediction this far out will be totally accurate is far fetched. The perennial USC, Ohio State, Florida and LSU are of course lurking around the top. Not astonishing, these teams have proven track records and are legacy programs with several returning experienced players. The teams I am interested in seeing if they can actually hold up to the hype are Missouri ranked at its highest preseason ranking, at No. 6. Pittsburgh breaking the Top 25, who I predict, will most likely drop out of the ranks in the first few weeks of conference play. Finally, it will be interesting to see if No. 8 West Virginia and new head coach Bill Stewart can ride in the wake of Rich Rodriguez and keep the team playing at the recent year’s level.

I won’t deny that I am a little bitter at the fact the Michigan received nearly 50 less points than No. 25 Pittsburgh, but I do agree that this team will need to prove itself. With a walk on QB accompanying a true freshman in the backfield, combined with a new offense for the entire team to learn, the road schedule, not to mention the conference schedule could eat these guys up.

Friday, August 15, 2008

Fall Favorites and a Slight Prediction











by Mr. W

College football is a mere two weeks away. And I am feigning for all things NCAAF. Game Day, Thursday Night Games, Coaches poll debates, Homecomings all stir up excitement within any fan. But for me the thing that takes the cake is just Saturdays in the fall; as those crisp, sunny, limitless blue sky days of Autumn quickly approach, it reinforces that soon the rituals of Saturday will begin. Whether you are going to be spending your day tailgating and in you team's stadium, at a buddies man cave, at the local watering hole, or at home on your couch with your 15 year old lucky sweatshirt from your alma mater, you have to agree Fall Saturday’s are different. As soon as you wake up, there is that feeling that something is going to happen that day.
If you are like me, you have one or two teams you are emotionally connected to, be it your or your spouse's alma mater, the school you applied to but never got accepted by, or just the home town team that you grew up watching. This adds to the anticipation as you prep for the main game of the day. You hang flags in the front yard, you don team colors and head to the stadium parking lot to relive your younger years, or meet up with fellow fans to cheer your team on for the afternoon. Is there anything better than this? I think not.

This year will be memorable for me as Michigan fan. With the era of new coach, Rich Rodriguez beginning and a road trip to the Purdue game in midst of being planned I am definitely looking forward to the start of the season. I am also excited for my alma mater WMU’s season. They were overrated last year and definitely did not live up to their projected success. However they ended the season on high note by trouncing the Iowa Hawkeyes in the last game of the season. With a vast amount of returning players on defense and a strong Reciving core plus some great TEs I am predicting a surprisingly successful season this fall.


Go Broncos! Go BLUE!

Mr. W.

Western Gearing Up


The inaugural post of this blog is the motivation behind the it. I couldn't find any good blogger conversations regarding Bronco Footbal. Comments welcome what are your predictions for the Broncos in Fall 2008?


WMU Football Holds First Preseason Scrimmage
Courtesy: Mat Kanan, director of athletic media relations

Release: 08/14/2008

Courtesy: WMUhttp://www.wmubroncos.com/?ATCLID=1554624&SPSID=24299&SPID=1922&DB_OEM_ID=4600
KALAMAZOO, Mich. - On a day when most of the first team saw limited repetitions, the Western Michigan football showcased the talents of guys working for position on the depth chart. Included in this group were newcomers Aaron Winchester and Jamie Simpson who each ran the ball well on Thursday afternoon.
The diminutive Winchester took on all would-be tacklers, rushing the ball 10 times for 45 yards and a pair of first downs. On the other end of the size spectrum, Simpson rumbled through the defense for 35 yards on eight carries, scoring the scrimmage lone rushing touchdown from seven yards out.
Tim Hiller began the scrimmage as the first team offense worked against the second defense. This was the theme of Thursday's scrimmage as the first team defense worked primarily against the second team offense. Hiller went 5-for-7 for 41 yards and four first downs. He connected with tight end Matt Stevens on the first play for a gain of 12 yards and followed with completetions to Jamarko Simmons for two and 13 yards, respectively, Branden Ledbetter for 13 yards and Schneider Julien for nine yards.
Back ups Drew Burdi and Robert Arnheim also worked with members of the first team offense throughout the afternoon. Burdi's highlight came on a 50-yard completion down the sideline to sophomore wideout Juan Nunez. Burdi completed four passes on eight attempts for 61 yards. Arnheim through the lone scoring strike of the day, connecting with Dervon Wallace, who spun after the catch and turned upfield for a 36-yard score. Arnheim completed 4-of-10 passes for 48 yards. Freshman Alex Carder worked with the second and third team offense, completing 6-of-7 passes for 57 yards and two first downs.
Wallace was the leading receiver in yards with 43, while freshman walk-on E.J. Riley hauled in three catches late for 25 yards. Only Riley, Wallace, Chris Prom and Anthony Williams recorded multiple receptions.
Glenis Thompson worked most of the time with the first offense, carrying the ball eight times for 23 yards and a pair of first downs.
Defensively, E.J. Biggers made his presence known, either knocking away passes or separating the intended receiver from the ball for three pass break ups. The Bronco defense registered seven PBUs and five sacks (despite not being able to actually bring the quarterback down). Defensive end Greg Marshall was in one one sack, while Dan Krasinski, Cory Flom, Chris Pyant and freshman Weston Peiffer recorded the others.
John Potter made good on a pair of field goals within 30 yards, came up short on a 46-yard attempt into the wind and pushed a 52-yard attempt just left near the end of the scrimmage. A second 52-yard attempt was blocked. Chris Kelly made good on 1-of-2 attempts, while Brooks Bunbury and Caleb Morris each failed on their lone attempts of the afternoon.
Western Michigan will resume practice on Friday with a two-a-day session with another two-a-day on Monday sandwiched around an afternoon session on Saturday. The Broncos next and final team scrimmage will take place Tuesday afternoon, Aug. 19.