Football preview: WMU (1-2) at Toledo (2-1)

Western Michigan football kicks off its conference schedule at Toledo Saturday at 1:30 p.m. WMU sits at 1-2 and the Rockets are 2-1. 

The Broncos fell to Iowa last weekend 10-41 in Iowa City. After going up 10-7 in the second quarter, WMU surrendered 34 straight points.

The offense found some rhythm early and the defense was able to create a pair of turnovers but the Hawkeyes were too much for the Broncos to handle for all 60 minutes.

Toledo are the reigning MAC champions and should be a tough opponent for the Broncos, even in a conference game. Toledo is coming off a 9-5 season and was picked as the favorites to win the MAC in the Head Coaches Preseason Football Poll.

WMU offense vs Toledo defense

Head coach Lance Taylor will make another game time decision at quarterback Saturday afternoon at Toledo. Jack Salopek started game one and two, while Treyson Bourguet received the nod last Saturday at Iowa. 

The Bronco offense has gone cold the last two games against power five foes, scoring 17 total points. Jalen Buckley was held in check last week at Iowa, and the Broncos will need to find a way to get the run game going at Glass Bowl stadium. Anthony Sambucci caught his first touchdown of the season last week, and WMU should look to get him more targets. 

Toledo very well could have been 3-0 heading into Saturday, if not for a game-winning field goal in the final seconds of a 30-28 week one loss on the road at Illinois. Since then, the Rockets have only given up 20 points in two games against Texas Southern and San Jose State.

Senior linebacker Dallas Gant is the leader on defense for the Rockets. Gant has totaled 23 tackles to lead the team through three games, and senior safety Zachary Ford is second with 17. Junior cornerback Quinyon Mitchell has an impressive six pass deflections early on this year, and senior cornerback Chris McDonald returned a pick six for a touchdown to help Toledo defeat San Jose State last week 21-17. 

Senior defensive tackle Judge Culpepper is very crafty. Culpepper made a huge difference in the Rockets win over San Jose State with two sacks, and has four total sacks on the year

The last two weeks, the Bronco offense has struck first before falling flat the rest of the game. Being able to run the ball efficiently and allowing the passing offense to feed off the run game is necessary for the offense Saturday. Bourguet or Salopek may need to throw 20 or more times to win this game. Taylor and offensive coordinator Billy Cosh can not be one dimensional. 

Toledo is not often going to be exposed for long touchdowns. The Broncos will need to have long sustained drives that are methodical and finish with points on the board because points are not going to come easy Saturday. 

The Rockets defense is experienced and hungry. Western Michigan will need to be efficient in every facet of the game on offense to spring an upset on the road Saturday. Hopefully Cosh and company have put the first three weeks behind them and are ready for a fresh slate and huge opportunity with a road game against one of the best teams in the MAC. 

WMU defense vs Toledo defense

The WMU defense forced its first turnover of the year against Iowa on the fourth play of the game when Damari Roberson picked off Iowa quarterback Cade McNamara in Bronco territory. Keni-H Lovely doubled the teams turnovers for the day with another interception of McNamara with 40 seconds left in the first half. 

Senior transfer Tate Hallock tied Roberson on the day to lead the team with eight tackles each, and Hallock took his season total to 25.0 tackles, most on the team through three weeks.

So far this season Toledo has only turned the ball over four times from two interceptions and two fumbles recovered by the defense. However, both of the fumble recoveries and one of the interceptions came in the Rockets week three win against San Jose State. WMU will need to force at least one turnover if it wants a chance to win Saturday.

Toledo is led by quarterback Dequan Finn, who has completed 49 passes for 590 yards with six touchdowns and two interceptions so far in 2023. The Detroit, Michigan native also leads the Rockets with 36 rush attempts for 183 yards and two scores.

Peny Boone is the head of the running back committee at Toledo and has rushed 28 times for 195 yards and three touchdowns. 

Jerjuan Newton is Finn’s favorite receiver, connecting for 12 receptions for 137 yards and three touchdowns, one in each game this season. Junior Vandeross III is the only other receiver on the team this season with double-digit receptions hauling in 10 for 119 yards. 

Larry Stephens is another name the Broncos need to watch out for, as the sophomore had a big game in the Rockets week two matchup against Texas Southern with 5 of his 6 receptions for 74 of his 77 yards on the season, as well as two touchdowns in the game.