Western Michigan wins first bowl game in program history
The seventh time was the charm for Western Michigan.
The Broncos were 0-6 in the program’s previous bowl appearances, but with a 45-31 victory over Middle Tennessee in Thursday’s Bahamas Bowl, the program finally notched its first-ever bowl win.
Led by freshman running back Jamauri Bogan, the Broncos racked up yards in big chunks and finished with 613 total yards of offense on the afternoon. The 5-foot-7, 174-pound Bogan carved up the Blue Raiders for 215 yards and four touchdowns.
The Broncos had success through the air, too. Zach Terrell completed 18-of-26 passes for 297 yards and two touchdowns – one to each of his star receivers. Terrell hit Corey Davis for an 80-yard score in the first quarter and Daniel Braverman for a 68-yarder in the third.
But as good as the WMU offense was, it was a big play from the defense that ultimately sealed up the win.
After Bogan’s third touchdown gave the Broncos a 38-31 lead with 6:12 to go, fifth-year senior safety Rontavious Atkins intercepted MTSU’s Brent Stockstill and returned it to the four-yard line. Two plays later, Bogan was in the end zone again to put the game out of reach.
The game got off to a fast start with each of the first three drives ending in touchdowns in fewer than two minutes. MTSU star receiver Richie James scored on the Blue Raiders’ first two possessions – first on a 46-yard run and then on a 44-yard pass from Stockstill – while Bogan got WMU on the board via a 62-yard scamper.
By the time the first quarter ended, the score was tied at 17. Both defenses settled down in the second quarter, and the 17-17 tie carried over to halftime.
Bogan gave the Broncos the lead with a 46-yard touchdown on the first drive of the second half, but the Blue Raiders tied things up late in the third when Stockstill found senior Christian Collis on a quick screen for a 17-yard score.
And while Davis was Terrell’s favorite target on the afternoon, Braverman, who came into the game with as one of three receivers in the nation with 100 or more catches (alongside James and UMass’ Tajae Sharpe), finally made his presence felt early in the fourth.
Terrell hit Braverman on a drag route and he did the rest, showing off his impressive speed by scampering 68 yards down the right sideline for a go-ahead touchdown.
But MTSU didn’t fold. On the ensuing drive, Stockstill found James behind the defense for a 29-yard touchdown that tied the game at 31 with 9:41 to go.
From then on out, Bogan took over. He broke off a 61-yard run on the next drive and followed it up by punching it in from a yard out to give the Broncos a 38-31 lead. Atkins’ big interception then followed, and Bogan put the game away with another one-yard score.
The win is a big one for the Broncos to cap off P.J. Fleck’s third season as head coach. WMU went 1-11 in his first year, but have gone to the postseason and won eight games in back-to-back seasons.
The loss gives Middle Tennessee a 7-6 record to end the season. The Blue Raiders haven’t won a bowl game since the 2009 New Orleans Bowl.
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Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!
