BroncoBlitz.com - True freshmen lights up Broncos

October 31, 2009

D. Burgardt
BroncoBlitz.com Publisher

KENT, Ohio - Despite forcing three turnovers, Western Michigan football could not overcome career days by Kent State's quarterback and top receiver, falling to Kent State, 26-14. The loss was the first against the Golden Flashes since 1988 and the first against a team from the Mid-American Conference East Division since Oct. 6, 2007.

The seventh second-half comeback under head coach Bill Cubit fell short at Dix Stadium as Western Michigan managed 14 points against a Kent State defense that had four sacks to

bring its league-leading total to 30. The Broncos two touchdowns were the direct result of a pair of interceptions courtesy of WMU's defense.

On its second drive of the game, KSU advanced to the Broncos' 13-yard line before Mitch Zajac corralled the first interception of his career after the pass deflected off the intended receiver. Zajac's 26-yard return set up Hiller and company on WMU's 31-yard line.

The Broncos moved the ball 69 yards in 11 plays for their 10th scoring drive of 10 or more plays. Tim Hiller, who finished with 255 yards and two more passing TDs, found Ansel Ponder just inside the goal line for the 92nd passing TD of his career and the third for Ponder in the last two games. The score against this KSU defense was the first in nine quarters as the Golden Flashes had not allowed an offensive score since the Bowling Green loss on Oct. 10.

Hiller ended the first half with 119 yards and the scoring strike on 15-for-24 (62.5 percent) passing. Trey Smith had matched his career high with four catches for 41 yards and Brandon West had 22 yards on the ground. The total was good enough to propel him into third place on WMU's career rushing list past Shawn Faulkner (1980-83). Only Jerome Persell (4,190) and Robert Sanford (4,219) lie ahead of the Brunswick, Ga., native.

Damond Smith registered his first career interception on a jumped route in the fourth quarter. Hiller used just 1:38 off the game clock to march 29 yards, finding Robert Arnheim (his 93rd career passing TD) in the back of the end zone with a bullet to bring the Broncos within a score, 14-20 with 8:31 left in regulation. It was the first receiving TD since Sept. 12 at Indiana and third of his career. He led all Bronco receivers with seven grabs for 78 yards.

Kent State almost as quickly, scoring the game's final touchdown on a seven-play, 72-yard drive to go ahead, 26-14 with just over five minutes remaining. WMU tried to continue the comeback, driving to Kent State's 33-yard line but a bobbled reception ended up in the hands of the Flashes' Luke Batton and KSU sealed the game with a nine-play drive that burned out the rest of the time on the clock.

After winning and deferring the opening coin toss, as the Broncos have done four times already this year, Kent State moved the ball 73 yards on 14 plays to open the game's scoring with a 24-yard Freddie Cortez. A stalled Western Michigan drive gave the Flashes the ball back deep in their own territory but a 44-yard completion from Spencer Keith to Jameson Konz on third down moved the ball into Bronco territory.

The Golden Flashes scored on three of its five first half drives (KSU downed the ball to end the half on its fifth drive), scoring a second field goal off the foot of Cortez with 8:17 remaining in the second quarter and Keith hit Tyshon Goode from 35-yards out for KSU's lone TD of the first half. Goode finished the half with a career best 141 yards receiving and finished the game with 198 yards on 11 catches. Keith also had a career high with 373 yards on 24-of-34 passing.

Despite being out-gained 287-137, Western Michigan trailed by only six points heading into the break. The first half came to an end with neither team incurring a penalty and lasted just one hour, nine minutes.

Justin Braska filled up the defensive stat sheet with six tackles (five solo), 2.5 tackles for loss and the Broncos' lone sack of the game. He also had a pass break up, batting the ball down at the line of scrimmage and had a QB hurry. Vernon Stewart had his second forced fumble of the year and first career fumble recovery, all on the same play. Western Michigan closes out its non-conference slate with Michigan State in East Lansing, on Nov. 7. The Broncos, who are 2-0 against Big Ten teams in the month of November under Cubit, will kick it off at 12 p.m. on the Big Ten Network.

Comment

Bill Cubit has a line he uses when he talks about Western's true freshmen. "These guys were riding a school bus last year and now they're thrown in front of some major crowds and programs."

On Saturday two guys "just off the school bus" lit up the Bronco defense. Spencer Keith threw for 373 yards and two touchdowns, and Tyshone Goode had 11 catches for 198 yards and two touchdowns.

That leaves the question, were those two freshmen just that talented, or does the Bronco defense lack talent? Personally, I don't think it's either of those things. The Broncos are simply not getting pressure on quarterbacks, and they're DB's are giving too much of a cushion. Even a true freshmen can play pitch and catch if he has all day in the pocket or the corner is giving a 10 yard cushion. Kent converted 72% of the time on 3rd down, with several of them being third and longs. In each case Keith had all day to scan the field and find a receiver.

Is it the talent on the field? Who can forget last years CMU game, when Brian Brunner picked the Bronco DB's apart. Louis Delmas and EJ Biggers are playing in the NFL, yet even last year they sometimes struggled, when they were asked to stay in coverage too long. I think the talent is still there, as shown by the two interceptions today, but until the Bronco D can pressure on the QB, it won't matter who is back defending.

A defining moment in in the Cubit era was the 2005 away game at Bowling Green, where few believing they had a chance. Five sacks later they walked away 45-14 win. If the Western Michigan defense does not get back to the type of attacking, risk taking defense that we saw in 05, they will always be a team looking to become bowl eligible rather than looking for a championship.

Box Score

Final

Western Michigan (4-5)	0	7	0	7	14
Kent State (5-4)	3	10	7	6	26

Scoring Summary
	Kent State: Freddy Cortez 24 yd FG
	Western Michigan: Ansel Ponder 2 yd pass from Tim Hiller (John Potter kick)
	Kent State: Freddy Cortez 39 yd FG
	Kent State: Tyshon Goode 34 yd pass from Spencer Keith (Freddy Cortez kick)
	Kent State: Tyshon Goode 19 yd pass from Spencer Keith (Freddy Cortez kick)
	Western Michigan: Robert Arnheim 9 yd pass from Tim Hiller (John Potter kick)
	Kent State: Jacquise Terry 15 yd run (failed 2pt pass)

Team Statistics
	Kent State	Western Michigan
TOTAL FIRST DOWNS	22	17
TOTAL NET YARDS	477	293
Total Plays	66	72
Average Gain	7.2	4.1
NET YARDS RUSHING	104	38
Rushes	32	23
Average per rush	3.2	1.7
NET YARDS PASSING	373	255
Completions-attempted	24-34	31-49
Sacked	0	0
Yards Lost	0	0
TOTAL TURNOVERS	3	1
Interceptions	2	1
Fumbles Lost	1	0
OTHER
Penalties	4	4
Penalty Yards	40	42
Time of Possesion	29:28	30:32
Punts	1	5
Punt Average	80	31
Return Yards	35	92

Passing
Kent State	CMP	ATT	YDS	TD	INT	YDS/ATT
Spencer Keith (0)	24	34	373	2	2	11.0
Western Michigan	CMP	ATT	YDS	TD	INT	YDS/ATT
Tim Hiller (0)	31	49	255	2	1	5.2

Rushing
Kent State	ATT	YDS	TD	AVG
Jacquise Terry (0)	23	90	1	3.9
Spencer Keith (0)	3	6	0	2.0
Dri Archer (0)	3	6	0	2.0
Anthony Bowman (0)	1	6	0	6.0
Team (0)	2	-4	0	-2.0
Western Michigan	ATT	YDS	TD	AVG
Brandon West (0)	15	61	0	4.1
Aaron Winchester (0)	1	5	0	5.0
Alex Carder (0)	2	2	0	1.0
Tim Hiller (0)	5	-30	0	-6.0

Receiving
Kent State	ATT	YDS	TD	AVG
Tyshon Goode (0)	11	198	2	18.0
Jameson Konz (0)	5	74	0	14.8
Jacquise Terry (0)	3	52	0	17.3
Sam Kirkland (0)	3	17	0	5.7
Phil Garner (0)	1	19	0	19.0
Kendrick Pressley (0)	1	13	0	13.0
Western Michigan	ATT	YDS	TD	AVG
Robert Arnheim (0)	7	78	1	11.1
Chleb Ravenell (0)	7	63	0	9.0
Ansel Ponder (0)	5	24	1	4.8
Trey Smith (0)	4	41	0	10.3
Blake Hammond (0)	3	26	0	8.7
Brandon West (0)	2	9	0	4.5
Matt Stevens (0)	1	7	0	7.0
Dervon Wallace (0)	1	4	0	4.0
Aaron Winchester (0)	1	3	0	3.0