B-Dawg's Western Michigan Broncos: Unfinished bidnezz

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Freakish athlete appears to be
Western’s QB of the future

KALAMAZOO, Mich. — The future of the Western Michigan football program has arrived on B-Dawg’s front step.

His name is David Landrum, a four-star athlete who will have the entire nation amazed that he committed to little old two-star Western.

Landrum, who hails from Menominee Falls, Wis., is the 19th-ranked athlete in the nation with a 78 OVR rating. That’s the kind of player who usually ends up at major programs. He is Western's first four-star recruit in B-Dawg's two years at the helm.

A look under the hood shows why B-Dawg is giddy as a schoolgirl about Landrum’s commitment to Western.

Landrum comes equipped with 93 SPD, faster than anyone currently on Western’s roster. That speed rating will be used under center, as he also comes with 86 THP and 82 THA.

“Oh, I think we have our quarterback for the next four years,” B-Dawg said. “We’re looking at the kid who may eventually lead us to a national championship and win a Heisman.”

National championship? Heisman? At Western?

B-Dawg, put down the crack pipe.

“I’m serious,” he continued. “I’ve been in this game enough to know that one transformative athlete can change an entire program. David Landrum is a young man you will be hearing an awful lot about as we take a major leap in the college football world.”

B-Dawg has been pleased with the way senior quarterback Zack Wynn has been running the read option — and Wynn has only 74 SPD. Imagine what it will look like with 93 SPD.

Landrum chose Western over Wisconsin and Michigan State.

Also committing to Western is Nicholas Schmidt of Cushing, Okla. Schmidt is the eighth-ranked strong safety in the country. He dropped from 69 OVR to 66 OVR when scouted, with 83 SPD, 68 TAK and 83 JMP. He chose Western over Tulsa and Colorado.

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CMU’s Jason Wilson (top) celebrates a 67-yard interception return for a touchdown early in the fourth quarter.
Western punter J Schreoder (bottom) completed a 6-yard pass on fourth-and-7.

CHIPPED!
Rally falls short, WMU falls to CMU

MOUNT PLEEZY, Mich. — It will go down as another close football game involving Western Michigan, but don’t be deceived by the final score.

It wasn’t that close.

Central Michigan came away with a 27-21 victory over Western, but the Broncos fell behind 27-7 before scoring two window-dressing touchdowns in the final 6:12.

“Our offense was awful today and our defense played worse than the final score indicated,” Western coach B-Dawg said. “We allowed only two offensive touchdowns, but we made no big plays on defense. We let them control the tempo and couldn’t seem to get them off the field when we needed a stop.”

Western’s defense had only five tackles for losses, one sack, no deflections and no interceptions. That left the Chippewas in short down-and-distances all day long. CMU had 441 yards of total offense, 149 on the ground and 292 through the air.

“We just went through the motions and got run over,” B-Dawg said.

Central’s defense, meanwhile, made the one big play that essentially put this game out of reach.

With the Chippewas (5-3) leading 20-7, Jason Wilson picked off a pass a short pass just off the line of scrimmage intended for receiver Corey Davis. Once Wilson got his momentum going, nobody was around to catch him on a 67-yard touchdown return with 7:51 left in the game.

Western (5-2) has specialized in comebacks this season, so it was understandable that hopes were high among Broncos faithful when Zack Wynn threw touchdown passes to Flint, Mich. natives Michael Henry and Kendrick Roberts to make it a 27-21 game with 2:43 remaining.

However, Central was able to run out the clock by going 46 yards in eight plays. Western got a stop on third down, but had no timeouts and probably would’ve given up a field goal anyway.

A Western offense that was desperate for a spark tried a trick play that B-Dawg has rarely attempted in his long coaching career. Facing fourth-and-7 at Central’s 44, B-Dawg had punter J Schroeder throw a pass, which he completed to cornerback Leo Alba … for six yards.

“I will put that play away in my memory bank in case we face fourth-and-five or less,” B-Dawg said. “Leo got off a bump and was open for a short slant. The key was having the punter step up a bit and toss the ball without firing it. It was a good throw; we just needed to get some more forward lean as Leo was being tackled.”

Wynn was 22-for-37 for 286 yards, three touchdowns and the one costly pick. He ran 14 times for 87 yards.

Central’s Cody Kater was an efficient 21-for-28 for 220 yards and a touchdown. Saylor Lavallii was a chain-moving machine, running 27 times for 121 yards and a touchdown.






2014 WESTERN MICHIGAN SCHEDULE

AUG. 28 — at BOY-Z STATE (Won 28-21, OT) *Report*
SEPT. 6 — at MICHIGAN (Won 38-35) *Report*
SEPT. 13 — FLORIDA ATLANTIC (Won 34-31) *Report*
SEPT. 27 — SOUTHERN METHODIST (Won 46-45) *Report*
OCT. 4 — NORTHERN ILLINOIS (Lost 23-20) *Report*
OCT. 18 — EASTERN MICHIGAN (Won 55-6) *Report*
OCT. 25 — at CENTRAL MICHIGAN (Lost 27-21) *Report*
NOV. 1 — BOWLING GREEN
NOV. 8 — at MASSACHUSETTS
NOV. 15 — at BALL STATE
NOV. 22 — at BUFFALO
NOV. 27 — TOLEDO

[BDawg35]

Daniel Braverman (top) reaches back to snare a 5-yard game-winning TD pass with 7 seconds left. Kendrick
Roberts (bottom left) hauls in a 43-yard pass on the winning drive. Bryan Thomas (bottom right) scoops up a
fumble that he returned for a TD with 3:44 left, giving Bowling Green a 28-24 lead.

MORE MAGIC
Western blows 10-point lead,
beats Falcons with :07 left

KALAMAZOO, Mich. — Western Michigan’s football team doesn’t seem to be comfortable unless it’s living life on the edge.

The Broncos appeared to be heading for a relatively comfortable victory when they had to increase the degree of difficulty.

Western took a 24-14 lead with 5:47 left in its game against Bowling Green, but the Falcons scored two touchdowns in a 42-second span to grab a 28-24 lead with 3:44 to go.

Suddenly, the Broncos were in their comfort zone. They need more come-from-behind magic, something they have conjured up with amazing regularity in the 2014 season.

Daniel Braverman caught a 5-yard touchdown pass from Zack Wynn with seven seconds remaining, giving Western a 31-28 victory over Bowling Green.

The catch capped a six-play, 59-yard drive that followed a huge stop by free safety Justin Currie and freshman linebacker Sean Moore on fourth-and-two with 52 seconds left. Currie came on a safety blitz.

“If we don’t make that stop, they’re in the victory formation and we’re not talking about how great our offense was in the clutch,” Western coach B-Dawg said.

The Broncos got straight to business on offense, as wide-open slot receiver Kendrick Roberts hauled in a 43-yard pass to the Bowling Green 18-yard line with 46 seconds to go. With the ball at the 5, Wynn nearly had a pass picked off in the end zone by Josh Pettus.

Two plays later, on third down, Wynn targeted Braverman, who showed great body control by reaching back and snaring the winning pass with both hands.

“We love those situations,” B-Dawg said. “We feel like we can’t be stopped if you give us the ball at the end of a game and we need a score to win it.”

The Broncos’ confidence continues to grow at crunch time, because they’ve proven themselves over and over again in a remarkable 2014 season.

In five of Western’s eight games this season, the Broncos (6-2) scored the winning points in the final 53 seconds of the fourth quarter or in overtime. They beat Boise State in overtime, beat Michigan on a pass with three seconds left, beat Florida Atlantic on a field goal with three seconds left, and beat Southern Methodist on a pass with 53 seconds left.

Bowling Green (3-5) was nearly the team that had the huge fourth-quarter rally. After falling behind 24-14, the Falcons cut the margin to 24-21 on a 2-yard run by backup quarterback James Knapke. Knapke took over for Matt Johnson, who was knocked out of the game in the second quarter when Roosevelt Donaldson had one of Western’s nine sacks.

Stuff got seriously real when Wynn was sacked, fumbled the ball and the loose ball was returned 17 yards for a touchdown by Bryan Thomas with 3:44 left.

Western’s next drive stalled when running back Fabian Johnson lost five yards on a toss play on second-and-two because B-Dawg called the wrong play.

“It was 1:45 a.m.,” B-Dawg said. “I was tired.”

Bowling Green reached Western’s 39 before failing on fourth-and-two, allowing the Broncos to get the ball back for their winning touchdown.

The victory was not without cost for Western, which lost cornerback Jon Henry for 11 weeks with a strained knee sustained in the second quarter.

Bowling Green got the ball back at its own 23 with three seconds left after Braverman’s winning catch. Ryan Burbrink made a 43-yard catch in traffic, but was tackled immediately to end the game.

[beekay415]

Nice win, and great grab on that recruit!

[BDawg35]

Fabian Johnson (top) falls into the end zone with the game-winning 1-yard run with 41 seconds left. Jaime
Wilson (bottom) scores on a 23-yard catch with 15 seconds left in the first half to begin Western’s comeback.

MOMENTUM CHANGE
Losing 21-0 to Massachusetts,
fumble sparks WMU comeback

AMHERST, Mass. — Things were going bad for Western Michigan, and were about to get worse.

Or so it appeared.

Dumbstruck that they were losing 21-0 to a 68 OVR Massachusetts squad, the Broncos were in retreat mode once again with the Minutemen driving late in the first half following an interception.

Then Western got the break that turned everything around.

Massachusetts quarterback Zach Campbell scrambled when he couldn’t find an open receiver, was hit by defensive tackle Jamar Simpkins and coughed up the ball. Defensive end Khairi Bailey recovered it with 35 seconds left in the half.

And B-Dawg held his breath.

“You almost expect a review and a fumble to be overturned in NCAA Football,” the Western Michigan coach said. “It’s almost an automatic.”

There was no review this time. It was Western’s ball, and the Broncos took advantage, getting on the board with 15 seconds left in the first half on a 23-yard pass from Zack Wynn to Jaime Wilson.

Western wouldn’t score again until the fourth quarter, but at least the bleeding had stopped. The Broncos were positioned to rally once again for a victory, this one being a 28-24 decision over Massachusetts.

The Broncos (7-2) ran for three touchdowns in the fourth quarter to come back from a 24-7 deficit. Fabian Johnson’s 1-yard run with 41 seconds left was the game-winner, marking the sixth time in nine games this season that Western has scored the winning points in the final minute of the fourth quarter or overtime.

“It felt like this game was getting away from us and I’d just have to bend over and take it like a man,” B-Dawg said. “We couldn’t do a thing on offense or defense. That fumbled changed everything.”

When the Minutemen took a 21-0 lead early in the second quarter, they had a lopsided statistical advantage in total yards (236-28), rushing yards (122-9), passing yards (114-19), first downs (13-2) and third-down conversions (4-for-5 to 0-for-4).

“A lesser man would’ve hit the reset button,” B-Dawg said. “But we win with dignity and lose with dignity.”

Western switched to a 1-5-5 Prowl defense in the second half, keeping the Minutemen out of the end zone.

The offense finally got going late in the third quarter, embarking on a drive that would culminate with a 2-yard touchdown run by Johnson with 8:24 left in the game. The drive covered 78 yards in 15 plays.

Western got the ball back and was feelin’ it. A quick five-play, 52-yard drive ended with a 14-yard touchdown run by true freshman Jason Reed with 6:05 remaining. It was Reed’s only carry of the game.

After forcing a three-and-out, Western got the ball at its own 27 with 4:48 left.

The Broncos didn’t go into that drive thinking it was their final chance to score, but the approach changed as they got into field goal range at the 22 with 3:29 remaining on a 34-yard pass to Wilson on third-and-five.

Western had a perfect situation develop on third-and-eight from the 9, as Corey Davis caught a slant, got past the first-down marker, but didn’t score with 1:08 left. That allowed the Broncos to work some more clock before Johnson’s winning touchdown with 41 seconds to go.

The Minutemen nearly pulled off a miracle as Tajae Sharpe caught a 32-yard pass at the 2-yard line as time expired, but he was immediately brought down by free safety Justin Currie, cornerback Garrett Smith and cornerback Logan Oce.

Strong safety Rontavious Atkins had 13 tackles, the most by a Western player in this dynasty.

The game got an ESPN Classic score of 880 points.

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Jason Reed (top) scores the game-winning TD with 41 seconds left. Corey Davis (bottom left) makes a TD catch.
Jaime Wilson (bottom right) makes one of his nine catches for 121 yards.

Opportunity seized
Freshman RB scores winning TD
on only carry against Ball State

MUNCIE, Ind. — Apparently, all that Jason Reed does is score touchdowns.

The true freshman running back has handled the rock only twice the last two weeks, but both times he’s found his way into the end zone with big touchdowns for Western Michigan.

Last week at Massachusetts, Reed’s 14-yard run with 6:05 left got the Broncos within three points, putting them in a position to win on Fabian Johnson’s 1-yard run with 41 seconds remaining.

On Saturday at Ball State, Reed got the ball for the only time in the game on an end-around out of a wildcat formation. He scored from two yards out with 24 seconds left, giving Western yet another come-from-behind victory, 38-31 over the Cardinals.

It’s the seventh time in 10 games this season that Western has scored the winning points in the final 53 seconds of the fourth quarter or overtime.

“I hope Jason enjoys this, because he may not get many more moments like this in a Western Michigan uniform,” said Western coach B-Dawg, pissing on Reed’s parade in a postgame interview. “We’ll get Dennis Norfleet for the next two years and we’ll still have Fabian Johnson for three more years. Tell me where Jason Reed will fit in.”

Johnson and quarterback Zack Wynn got all but two of Western’s carries against Ball State. Johnson ran 18 times for 111 yards, while Wynn ran 17 times for 46 yards and two scores. Wynn was also 31-for-43 for 332 yards, two touchdowns and two picks, one of which Ball State (2-7) took to the house to take a 17-7 lead in the second quarter.

Western (8-2) battled back on two touchdown runs by Wynn before halftime and his 40-yard touchdown pass to Corey Davis in the third quarter to take a 28-17 lead.

Next, it was Ball State’s turn to rally. The Cardinals tied the score 31-31 on a 1-yard run by Jahwan Edwards with 5:35 left in the game, going 79 yards in 16 plays.

That just set the stage for more late-game heroics by the Broncos.

After each team failed to score on their next possessions, Western took over at its own 38 with 2:18 remaining, fully confident that it could pull out another cardiac finish.

A 20-yard pass to Jaime Wilson with 1:37 left moved the Broncos into field goal range at the Ball State 22. Western wasn’t thinking three points, however, continuing to push closer to the goal line before Reed’s game-winning run capped an eight-play, 62-yard drive.

“In situations that might cause other teams to crap their pants, we feel totally calm, relaxed and focused,” B-Dawg said. “We just do work when the game is hanging in the balance.”

Ball State got the ball at its own 20 with 24 seconds left and all three timeouts at its disposal. The game ended when Ball State’s Dylan Curry dropped a pass at midfield. It was the Cardinals’ seventh drop of the game, which contributed to Ozzie Mann’s 18-for-40 passing for 194 yards, no touchdowns and a pick.

The game got an ESPN Classic score of 493 points.

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Jason Reed (top) takes a pitchout on the game-winning touchdown run. Western kicker Andrew Haldeman
(bottom) is run into when bodies start flying while Buffalo attempted to block an extra point.

Comeback kidz
Another rally, another late score
give Western victory over Bullz

BUFFALO — You can never, ever take your foot off the gas against Western Michigan’s football team.

Ever.

Lost in the statistic about Western’s late-game heroics in 2014 is the fact that the Broncos faced large deficits in many of those victories.

They fell behind 17-0 after one quarter against Buffalo, then chipped away the rest of the game, winning 39-33 on freshman running back Jason Reed’s 10-yard run with 1:01 left in the game.

It’s the eighth time in 11 games that Western has scored the winning points in the final 1:01 of the fourth quarter or overtime. In six of those games, the Broncos rallied from double-digit deficits.

“The game isn’t over until there are zeroes on the clock,” Western coach B-Dawg said. “We just keep ballin’ hard until we see the end-of-game animation on the screen.”

Western trailed Michigan 28-3 in the third quarter of a 38-35 victory, Florida Atlantic 31-21 in the fourth quarter of a 34-31 victory, Southern Methodist 35-17 in the second quarter of a 46-45 victory, Massachusetts 24-7 early in the fourth quarter of a 28-24 victory, and Ball State 17-7 in the second quarter of a 38-31 victory.

“This is easily the most fun I’ve ever had in a season playing any sports video game,” B-Dawg said. “I have been exhausted at the end of every game because I’ve had to work so hard right to the very end. The only season comparable to this was one that I had in NCAA ’12 playing with Michigan.”

In the 2013 season of NCAA ’12, B-Dawg had seven games that received ESPN Classic scores, including his all-time record of 3,689 points for a 53-52 victory at Iowa. The Broncos have been involved in seven games this year that have had ESPN Classic scores.

For the seldom-used Reed, it was his third big touchdown in the last three games. His first career touchdown came two weeks ago on a 14-yard run with 6:05 left, getting the Broncos within three points in a 28-24 victory at Massachusetts. Last week, his 2-yard run on an end-around with 24 seconds left gave Western a 38-31 victory at Ball State.

Reed is a true freshman who isn’t expected to play much in the next couple of years. Dennis Norfleet, a Michigan transfer, becomes eligible next season. Western’s leading rusher this year, Fabian Johnson, is a red-shirt freshman.

The winning touchdown came on an option pitch from Zack Wynn. It’s a play that has been easy to execute in past versions of NCAA Football, but which gets routinely blown up in NCAA ’14 before the ball can be pitched.

“I was shocked that we got off a clean pitch,” B-Dawg said. “I expected the play to either get destroyed before the pitch or that the pitch would wind up on the ground. Those are the only two outcomes I’ve had in this version of the game. I can count on one hand how many clean pitchouts I’ve gotten to the running back in NCAA ’14 — and I’d have a few fingers to spare.”

Buffalo scored touchdowns on its first two drives and nearly made it 3-for-3. The Bullz had first-and-goal at the 6-yard line, but had to settle for a field goal with 1:16 left in the first quarter.

Western finally got something going early in the second quarter, scoring on back-to-back drives to get within 17-14. Buffalo bounced back with 10 straight points to go up 27-14.

The teams traded scores, with Buffalo taking a 33-24 lead into the fourth quarter.

The Broncos got within 33-31 on a 6-yard run by Johnson with 8:21 left in the game.

The Broncos got the ball at their own 30 with 5:39 remaining, enough time for two more possessions. As they worked their way down the field, it became apparent this would be their final drive. A key play was a third-and-five pass to Daniel Braverman with 3:34 to go. When Johnson caught a 15-yard screen pass and took it to the 10 with 2:02 to go, Western was safely in field goal range and could work the clock.

On the winning play, it was evident that the defender responsible for the pitch was a free safety playing deep. Everyone else was up tight to the line. When the blocking held up, Wynn had time to assess what the free safety was doing and pitched to Reed, who fought his way into the end zone to cap a 12-play, 70-yard drive. Reed has three touchdowns on nine carries the last three games.

A sack by cornerback Leo Alba slowed Buffalo’s attempt for a comeback. After an incompletion on third-and-17, Joe Licata was sacked by Edward Rolle and David Curle on fourth down with 16 seconds left to end the game.

The game got an ESPN Classic score of 682 points.

Western will take a 9-2 record into its regular-season finale against Toledo at Waldo Stadium.

[BDawg35]

2014 WESTERN MICHIGAN SCHEDULE

AUG. 28 — at BOY-Z STATE (Won 28-21, OT) *Report*
SEPT. 6 — at MICHIGAN (Won 38-35) *Report*
SEPT. 13 — FLORIDA ATLANTIC (Won 34-31) *Report*
SEPT. 27 — SOUTHERN METHODIST (Won 46-45) *Report*
OCT. 4 — NORTHERN ILLINOIS (Lost 23-20) *Report*
OCT. 18 — EASTERN MICHIGAN (Won 55-6) *Report*
OCT. 25 — at CENTRAL MICHIGAN (Lost 27-21) *Report*
NOV. 1 — BOWLING GREEN (Won 31-28) *Report*
NOV. 8 — at MASSACHUSETTS (Won 28-24) *Report*
NOV. 15 — at BALL STATE (Won 38-31) *Report*
NOV. 22 — at BUFFALO (Won 39-33) *Report*
NOV. 27 — TOLEDO