2019 Western Michigan Broncos football team

The 2019 Western Michigan Broncos football team represented Western Michigan University in the 2019 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Broncos played their home games at Waldo Stadium in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and competed in the West Division of the Mid-American Conference.[1] The team was led by third-year head coach Tim Lester.

2019 Western Michigan Broncos football
First Responder Bowl, L 20–23 vs. Western Kentucky
Conference	Mid-American Conference
	West Division
2019 record	7–6 (5–3 MAC)
Head coach	Tim Lester (3rd season)
Offensive coordinator	Jake Moreland (3rd season)
Defensive coordinator	Lou Esposito (1st season)
Home stadium	Waldo Stadium (Capacity: 30,200)

2019 Mid-American Conference football standings
	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
East Division
Miami x$		6	–	2					8	–	6
Ohio		5	–	3					7	–	6
Buffalo		5	–	3					8	–	5
Kent State		5	–	3					7	–	6
Bowling Green		2	–	6					3	–	9
Akron		0	–	8					0	–	12
West Division
Central Michigan x		6	–	2					8	–	6
Western Michigan		5	–	3					7	–	6
Ball State		4	–	4					5	–	7
Northern Illinois		4	–	4					5	–	7
Toledo		3	–	5					6	–	6
Eastern Michigan		3	–	5					6	–	7
Championship: Miami 26, Central Michigan 21
$ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions

History

In 1906 The first football team for Western was created. At that time what is now Western Michigan University was named Western State Normal School. In 1907 Western hired Bill Spaulding as the first official coach for the team.[2]

Western's team was originally known as the Hilltoppers and in 1939 it was approved to change its nickname to the Broncos. The new name was suggested by coach John Gill.[3]

Preseason

Recruiting

US college sports recruiting information for 2019 recruits
Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Demari Roberson WR	Muskegon, Michigan	Mona Shores High School	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	180 lb (82 kg)
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Ali'Vonta Wallace LB	Muskegon, Michigan	Muskegon High School	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	210 lb (95 kg)
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Stuart Kettler OT	East Grand Rapids, Michigan	East Grand Rapids High School	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	280 lb (130 kg)
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Overall recruiting rankings:
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources:

MAC media poll

The MAC released their preseason media poll on July 23, 2019, with the Broncos predicted to finish in second place in the West Division.[4]

West Division Predicted finish Team Votes (1st place) 1 Toledo 127 (15) 2 Western Michigan 112 (5) 3 Northern Illinois 103 (3) 4 Eastern Michigan 83 5 Ball State 43 6 Central Michigan 36 (1)

MAC Championship Game Rank Team Votes 1 Ohio 13 2 Toledo 7 3 Western Michigan 2 4 Northern Illinois 1 Central Michigan 1

Schedule

The following table lists WMU's schedule.[5]

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
August 31	7:00 p.m.	Monmouth*	Waldo Stadium Kalamazoo, MI	ESPN3	W 48–13	15,021
September 7	7:30 p.m.	at No. 19 Michigan State*	Spartan Stadium East Lansing, MI	BTN	L 17–51	73,113
September 14	7:00 p.m.	Georgia State*	Waldo Stadium Kalamazoo, MI	ESPN+	W 57–10	22,328
September 21	12:00 p.m.	at Syracuse*	Carrier Dome Syracuse, NY	ACCN	L 33–52	40,700
September 28	12:00 p.m.	Central Michigan	Waldo Stadium Kalamazoo, MI (Victory Cannon / Michigan MAC Trophy)	CBSSN	W 31–15	20,476
October 5	3:30 p.m.	at Toledo	Glass Bowl Toledo, OH	ESPN+	L 24–31	22,141
October 12	12:00 p.m.	Miami (OH)	Waldo Stadium Kalamazoo, MI	ESPNU	W 38–16	21,702
October 19	7:00 p.m.	at Eastern Michigan	Rynearson Stadium Ypsilanti, MI (Michigan MAC Trophy)	ESPN+	L 27–34	20,528
October 26	12:00 p.m.	Bowling Green	Waldo Stadium Kalamazoo, MI	ESPN3	W 49–10	16,778
November 5	8:00 p.m.	Ball State	Waldo Stadium Kalamazoo, MI	ESPN2	W 35–31	11,314
November 12	6:30 p.m.	at Ohio	Peden Stadium Athens, OH	ESPN2	W 37–34 ^OT	11,700
November 26	7:00 p.m.	at Northern Illinois	Huskie Stadium DeKalb, IL	ESPNU	L 14–17	3,568
December 30	12:30 p.m.	vs. Western Kentucky	Gerald J. Ford Stadium Dallas, TX (First Responder Bowl)	ESPN	L 20–23	13,164
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll and CFP Rankings after November 5 released prior to game All times are in Eastern time

Game summaries

Monmouth

	1	2	3	4	Total
Hawks	0	7	6	0	13
Broncos	21	10	14	3	48

at Michigan State

	1	2	3	4	Total
Broncos	0	7	0	10	17
No. 19 Spartans	21	10	6	14	51

Georgia State

	1	2	3	4	Total
Panthers	10	0	0	0	10
Broncos	24	19	14	0	57

at Syracuse

	1	2	3	4	Total
Broncos	0	13	20	0	33
Orange	14	10	14	14	52

Central Michigan

	1	2	3	4	Total
Chippewas	0	0	0	15	15
Broncos	10	7	7	7	31

at Toledo

	1	2	3	4	Total
Broncos	7	0	10	7	24
Rockets	14	10	0	7	31

Miami (OH)

	1	2	3	4	Total
RedHawks	6	0	3	7	16
Broncos	0	21	0	17	38

at Eastern Michigan

	1	2	3	4	Total
Broncos	7	7	7	6	27
Eagles	3	7	10	14	34

Bowling Green

	1	2	3	4	Total
Falcons	3	0	7	0	10
Broncos	0	21	28	0	49

Ball State

	1	2	3	4	Total
Cardinals	7	3	7	14	31
Broncos	7	14	0	14	35

at Ohio

	1	2	3	4	OT	Total
Broncos	3	7	7	14	6	37
Bobcats	0	0	14	17	3	34

at Northern Illinois

	1	2	3	4	Total
Broncos	0	0	7	7	14
Huskies	3	7	0	7	17

vs. Western Kentucky (First Responder Bowl)

	1	2	3	4	Total
Broncos	3	7	7	3	20
Hilltoppers	0	10	0	13	23

References

1. "Western Michigan football 2018 season in review: Broncos make strides". Battle Creek Enquirer. 31 December 2018.
2. Fricke, Mark (2006). Western Michigan Football. Arcadia Publishing. p. 10,11. ISBN 9780738540887. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
3. Fricke, Mark (2006). Western Michigan Football. Arcadia Publishing. p. 34. ISBN 9780738540887. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
4. "MAC Announces 2019 Preseason Football Poll". getsomemaction.com. Retrieved August 2, 2019.
5. http://www.wmubroncos.com/schedule.aspx?path=football