30 Games in 30 Days: #19 Western Michigan at Michigan State

Western Michigan	@ Michigan State

When: November 7th
Where: East Lansing Michigan

All Time Series: Michigan State 5-0

Date	WMU	State
August 30, 2003	21	26
September 6, 1997	10	42
September 27, 1986	10	45
September 28, 1985	3	7
September 27, 1980	7	33

It was hard to pick between the game opener at Michigan or this game, one one hand I expect the Bronco's to beat the wolverines and a week one win over a Big-10 teams would be a nice kick off to the season but on the other hand a win over Michigan State could be the marque moment for the 2009 Bronco's.

This is a low risk high reward game for Western Michigan, by this point WMU has the potential to be 7-1 or 6-2, a win over Michigan State could start netting votes in some of the top 25 polls. A loss, on the other hand, does not hurt their chances at the MAC or at an at large should they not win the division. WMU has a recent habit of beating big ten teams late in the year Iowa (2007) and Illinois (2008) were both kept out of Bowl contention by a late season defeat.

In short, while right now the game against MU looks more important (because its winnable) if the season plays out even close to how they should for the Bronco's a win here will be the one fans are talking about during the off season. Of course if the Broncos should falter early in the season this game could be the most meaningless of the year.

Western Michigan has never beaten the Spartans losing by an average of twenty points and beating them will be a tall order for Western Michigan. While the Spartans personnel losses include key personnel (Javon Ringer) they are few in number. Ringer was the Spartan offense last season but on the ground Michigan State still only managed 130 yards a game, with improved depth this year the Spartans don't expect the running game to fall off. The defensive strength of the Spartans is at linebacker so losses on the defensive line are not going to diminish that units performance.

So far I have not found any mention of TV coverage, MAC crossover games this late in the season are not going to get seeding over the big name conference match ups. The two schools are a little over two hours apart so it should be easy for Bronco's fans to make the trip for this game.

#30 Temple at Navy

#29 Morgan State at Akron

#28 Miami at Kent

#27 Toledo at Ball State

#26 Army at Eastern Michigan

#25 Ohio at Buffalo

#24 Ball State at WMU

#23 Eastern Michigan at Michigan

#22 Bowling Green at Miami

#21 NIU at CMU

#20 Akron at Buffalo

Hiller, Lewis represent the MAC for Walter Camp

Tim Hiller	MiQuale Lewis

Two Mid American Conference Seniors made the Walter Camp "watch List". The award which started in 1967 (and was won its first two years by O.J. Simpson) is awarded every year to the player seen as the 'player of the year' by a group of National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I-A head coaches and sports information directors under the auspices of the Walter Camp Football Foundation.

No school that is currently not in a BCS conference, outside of Notre Dame, has ever won this award so its going to be a major task for them to be taken seriously as contenders. Should Hiller eclipse his totals from last year or Lewis lead the league in rushing and touchdowns they may have a chance but short of the publicity that a BCS bowl run has its difficult to get the national attention for such awards.

Last year MiQuale Lewis rushed for 1,701 yards (3rd in the nation) and scored 22 touchdowns (Tied for first). He also caught more than 30 passes for three hundred yards making him one of the most potent threats in all of College football. This year he will have to make due with a new line and without Nate Daivs who left early for the NFL draft.

Tim Hiller set seven Western Michigan passing records in 2008 He ranked tenth in the nation in yardage (3725), 7th in touchdowns (36), and 24th in quarterback rating (143.81). Off the field he earned a 4.0 GPA as an undergraduate and is well on his way to his MBA. Hiller will have to go through the year wideouts Jamarko Simmons and Schneider Julien. He will also be missing Tight end Branden Ledbetter. But he does return most of his offense outside those positions.

2009 Walter Camp Player of the Year “Watch List”
Jahvid Best, RB, Junior, California
Arrelious Benn, WR, Junior, Illinois
Eric Berry, DB, Junior, Tennessee
Sam Bradford, QB, Junior, Oklahoma
LaGarrette Blount, RB, Senior, Oregon
Dez Bryant, WR, Junior, Oklahoma State
Daryll Clark, QB, Senior, Penn State
Jonathan Dwyer, RB, Junior, Georgia Tech
Mardy Gilyard, WR, Senior, Cincinnati
Jermaine Gresham, TE, Senior, Oklahoma
Max Hall, QB, Senior, Brigham Young
Tim Hiller, QB, Senior, Western Michigan
Jerry Hughes, DE, Senior, TCU
Kendell Hunter, RB, Junior, Oklahoma State
MiQuale Lewis, RB, Senior, Ball State
Taylor Mays, DB, Senior, USC
Colt McCoy, QB, Senior, Texas
Kellen Moore, QB, Sophomore, Boise State
Todd Reesing, QB, Senior, Kansas
Jacquizz Rodgers, RB, Sophomore, Oregon State
Evan Royster, RB, Senior, Penn State
George Selvie, DE, Senior, South Florida
Jordan Shipley, WR, Senior, Texas
Rusty Smith, QB, Senior, Florida Atlantic
Jevan Snead, QB, Junior, Mississippi
Brandon Spikes, LB, Senior, Florida
C.J. Spiller, RB, Senior, Clemson
Golden Tate, WR, Junior, Notre Dame
Tim Tebow, QB, Senior, Florida
Sean Weatherspoon, LB, Senior, Missouri

30 Games in 30 Days: #24 Ball State at Western Michigan

Ball State	@ WMU

When: November 24th

Where: Kalamazoo Michigan

Series: Western Michigan 19-16

Last 10 Meetings

Date	WMU	Ball State
November 25, 2008	22	45
October 20, 2007	23	27
October 21, 2006	41	27
October 8, 2005	57	60
September 25, 2004	14	41
November 8, 2003	28	20
November 2, 2002	7	17
November 24, 2001	31	35
November 4, 2000	42	3
October 23, 1999	28	0

For the second year in a row these two teams play in the last week of the regular season. Last years game clinched the Western Division and a perfect season for the Cardinals, this season this game may well again decide the Western Division. Western Michigan is seen as being one of the two teams to take the west because of the timing this game may rank up with the CMU / WMU contest for importance in the conference.

On the flip side while Ball State is not being picked to win the but this game could very well have Bowl implications for the Cardinals. The contest is the last of three against some of last years top teams in the west (NIU, Central Michigan, Western Michigan), for the MAC winning 8 games almost clinches an at large bowl bid. Should they falter at any point in the season (Temple, Toledo, Bowling Green) they are going to need one of this series to make that mark.

Last year Ball state had little trouble taking care of the Bronco's, forcing Tim Hiller into more interceptions than touchdown's (only happened to Hiller one time last year). They also forced Western Michigan into fifty yards of penalties and managed to stop seven out of thirteen first downs. Offensively Nate Davie moved the ball well and MiQuale Lewis racked up 120 yards on the ground and three touchdowns.

The Cards are fortunate that their two most difficult, and important, divisional games come a the end of the season. Any early jitters or hick ups that Kelly Page and the new offensive line have to work out should be well taken care of so the Bronco's could be in for as much a game as they had last year.

This is going to be a nationally televised games (ESPN2), unfortunately its a week night game and its something of a drive from Muncie to Kalamazoo so unless you're a real diehard chances are your going to be watching this one on TV.

#30 Temple at Navy

#29 Morgan State at Akron

#28 Miami at Kent

#27 Toledo at Ball State

#26 Army at Eastern Michigan

#25 Ohio at Buffalo

Another Bronco nominated on an award watch list

Western Michigan football is having a great week. Beside camps finally getting under way a day does not go by when a Bronco is not put on a national award watch list. Tim Hiller for the Davey O'Brien, Brandon West for the Doak Walker, and now Ben Armer is one of nine, and the only MAC player, nominated for the Ray Guy award given every year to the nations best punter.

to be one of only two sophomores on this list speaks to the outstanding year the red shirt freshman put in. With an average of 40.6 yards per (including 11 punts of 50 or more yards) ranked him among the top 50 players in the nation. Equally impressive was his whistle to whistle participation while on the field the All-MAC Freshman (Rivals.com) recorded the second-most tackles by a kicker/punter in a season(5).

The Ray Guy Award winner is determined by a national selection committee of FWAA sports writers, college coaches, sports information directors, and past Ray Guy Award winners. Among the statistics used to identify the winner are total yardage punted, number of times a punt is downed or kicked out of bounds inside the opponents 20-yard line, net average, average returned yardage, and percentage of punts not returned. The winner must display team leadership, self-discipline, and have a positive impact on the team’s success.

2009 Ray Guy Award Watch List

Bryan Anger, California, Sophomore
Ben Armer, Western Michigan, Sophomore
Travis Baltz, Maryland, Junior
Matt Dodge, East Carolina, Senior
Ryan Donahue, Iowa, Junior
Derek Epperson, Baylor, Junior
Chas Henry, Florida, Junior
Zoltan Mesko, Michigan, Senior
Ross Thevenot, Tulane, Senior

Five MAC Halfbacks on the Doak Walker watch list

MiQuale Lewis	James Starks	Brandon West	Eugene Jarvis	DaJuane Collins

Five Mid American Conference running backs are on the list of 33, in the 19 years this award has been given no MAC player has ever won. While it will be a tall order for MiQuale Lewis and James Starks to match their level of play play from 2008 now that they missing their Davis and Willy not to mention significant portions of their offensive lines. Both finished in the top 20 for the nation last year and could be in the running when the season is over. Jarvis and West lost much of to injury and it will be interesting to see what he can do with 12 games....

Which MAC Running back has the best chance of winning the Doak Walker Award

because I missed DaJuane Collins I will have a runoff when this expires

The Doak Walker Award, named after the SMU legend, is presented ever year to the best college running back in the nation. The Doak Walker award is the only in college football that requires its recipient be in good academic standing and on target to graduate within a year of his current class.

Four Mid American Conference running backs are on the list of 33, in the 19 years this award has been given no MAC player has ever won. While it will be a tall order for MiQuale Lewis and James Starks to match their level of play play from 2008 now that they missing their Davis and Willy not to mention significant portions of their offensive lines. Both finished in the top 20 for the nation last year and could be in the running when the season is over. Jarvis and West lost much of to injury and it will be interesting to see what he can do with 12 games.

Last year MiQuale Lewis rushed for 1,701 yards (3rd in the nation) and scored 22 touchdowns (Tied for first). He also caught more than 30 passes for three hundred yards making him one of the most potent threats in all of College football.

James Starks put up monster numbers despite missing nearly three games last year (11 quarters). Before the loss to UConn he was among the best in the league in yards per game. His 1333 yards per game was 17th in the nation and his 16 touchdowns ranks him tied for 13th.

In his Junior year Brandon West cracked a thousand yards (1026) ranking him in 48th nationally. Like Starks West missed significant playing time last year sitting against CMU and playing seeing only limited carries against Ball State. This year with WMU losing some key wideout he may have quite a few more touches.

Eugene Jarvis missed three games last year and never really got back on track after leaving the Delaware game with a 'minor' injury that ended up putting him on the sideline for three games. Even with that he managed more than a thousand total years (801 on the ground, and 273 receiving) and ten total touchdown. If he can stay healthy this year he will almost certainly improve those numbers.

DaJuane Collins (sorry for missing him the first time around) also pent time on the sidelines and never seemed quite the same after the game against Fresno, still with two missed games and some injuries putting up 700 years rushing paired with five touchdowns was good enough to get him on the list. With an experienced and offensive line returning and new leadership over one thousand yards seems very realistic.

The recipient of the 2009 Doak Walker Award will be announced live on ESPN on The Home Depot ESPNU College Football Awards on Thursday, December 10. The Doak Walker Award Presentation Banquet will be held at the Hilton Anatole Hotel in Dallas, Texas, on Friday, February 19, 2010.

2009 Doak Walker Award Watch List

Armando Allen (Jr.), Notre Dame
André Anderson (Sr.), Tulane
Reggie Arnold (Sr.), Arkansas State
Baron Batch (Jr.), Texas Tech
Jahvid Best (Jr.), California, Berkeley
LeGarrette Blount (Sr.), Oregon
Chris Brown (Sr.), Oklahoma
Donald Buckram (Jr.), UTEP
John Clay (So.), Wisconsin
DaJuane Collins (Sr.), Toledo
Jeff Demps (So.), Florida
Noel Devine (Jr.), West Virginia
Andre Dixon (Sr.), Connecticut
Shaun Draughn (Jr.), North Carolina
Jonathan Dwyer (Jr.), Georgia Tech
Jamelle Eugene (Sr.), North Carolina State
Darren Evans (So.), Virginia Tech
Damion Fletcher (Sr.), Southern Mississippi
Toby Gerhart (Sr.), Stanford
Cyrus Gray (So.), Texas A&M
Nicolas (Nic) Grigsby (Jr.), Arizona
DuJuan Harris (Jr.), Troy
Roy Helu, Jr. (Jr.), Nebraska
Dan Herron (So.), Ohio State
Kendall Hunter (Jr.), Oklahoma State
Mark Ingram (So.), Alabama
Eugene Jarvis (Sr.), Kent State
MiQuale Lewis (Sr.), Ball State
Darius Marshall (Jr.), Marshall
Brandon Minor (Sr.), Michigan
DeMarco Murray (Jr.), Oklahoma
Daniel Porter (Sr.), Louisiana Tech
Jacquizz Rodgers (So.), Oregon State
Charles Scott (Sr.), LSU
Da’Rel Scott (Jr.), Maryland
Jake Sharp (Sr.), Kansas
Michael Smith (Sr.), Arkansas
C.J. Spiller (Sr.), Clemson
James Starks (Sr.), Buffalo
Curtis Steele (Sr.), Memphis
Phillip Tanner (Sr.), Middle Tennessee State
Vai Taua (Jr.), Nevada
Jordan Todman (So.), Connecticut
Joseph Turner (Sr.), TCU
Brandon West (Sr.), Western Michigan

Two MAC quarterbacks put on the O’Brien Award Watch List

Dan LeFevour	Tim Hiller

For the second time in as Many years Dan Lefevour is on the watch list for the Davey O'Brien National Quarterback award, this year he has competition from fellow MAC West Quarterback Tim Hiller.

LeFevour enters the this season first among active FBS players in completions (853), attempts (1,307) and total offense (11,702), second in passing yards (9,467) and fourth in touchdown passes (74). His total offense career yardage ranks 14th in Bowl Subdivision history. He is also a three-time Academic All-MAC (communication major 3.57 gpa)

Tim Hiller set seven Western Michigan passing records in 2008 He ranked tenth in the nation in yardage (3725), 7th in touchdowns (36), and 24th in quarterback rating (143.81). Off the field he earned a 4.0 GPA as an undergraduate and is well on his way to his MBA. With all his free time he is very active in his community service and faith-based mission work.

The Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award, is presented annually to the adjudged to be the best of all NCAA quarterbacks. Unlike the Johnny Unitas Award the Obrien Award is not restricted to only seniors so these players are recognized as the best quarterbacks among the 120 FBS football programs.

The selection committee will announce the award’s semifinalists Oct. 26, finalists Nov. 23 and winner Dec. 10.

Considering Schedule, Health, Exposure, and Ability which MAC QB has a better chance at winning?

2009 O’Brien Award Watch List
Sam Bradford, Oklahoma
Jarrett Brown, West Virginia
Daryll Clark, Penn State
Jimmy Clausen, Notre Dame
Aaron Corp, USC
Robert Griffin, Baylor
Matt Grothe, South Florida
Max Hall, BYU
Tim Hiller, Western Michigan
Jordan Jefferson, LSU
Colin Kaepernick, Nevada
Case Keenum, Houston
Dan LeFevour, Central Michigan
Jake Locker, Washington
Ryan Mallett, Arkansas
Jeremiah Masoli, Oregon
Colt McCoy, Texas
Kellen Moore, Boise State
Josh Nesbitt, Georgia Tech
Tony Pike, Cincinnati
Taylor Potts, Texas Tech
Terrelle Pryor, Ohio State
Todd Reesing, Kansas
Kevin Riley, California
Zac Robinson, Oklahoma State
Riley Skinner, Wake Forest
Rusty Smith, Florida Atlantic
Jevan Snead, Mississippi
Tyrod Taylor, Virginia Tech
Tim Tebow, Florida
Adam Weber, Minnesota
Juice Williams, Illinois
Russell Wilson, North Carolina State

MAC Baseball Players making the most of the summer

Before vacation I talked about how Ryan Mace of Kent was owing in the summer leagues, as the weeks wear on more and more MAC players are getting noticed. Buffalo and Western Michigan both have numerous players representing them in various summer all star games.

Buffalo: Third Baseman Jacob Rosenbeck one of 15 UB players seeing action this summer was named Most Valuable Player of the New England Collegiate Baseball League All-Star Game. His two hits and game tying RBI were enough to secure the honor.

In 32 games with the Holyoke Blue Sox his .311 batting average is ties him for second on the team, he is joined on the Blue Sox by fellow Bull Rob Lawler.

The Melville Millionaires of the Western Major Baseball league also have two UB players in Kevin Crumb (second on the team with his 3.83 ERA) and Brian Lattanzi.

Western Michigan: The Bronco's put up four All Star players in their respective leagues. Casey Webber received his first all-star nomination while Chris Lewis, Kyle Galbraith and Brian Stroud repeated as all-stars for the second summer in a row.

The Chillicothe Paints were fortunate to have first year Bronco Casey Webber who ranks third in the Prospect League with a 0.98 ERA (four earned runs in 36.2 innings pitched) and 50 strikeouts. On July 11, Webber fanned 14 batters in a seven-inning, complete game effort.

The Battle Creek Bombers (Northwoods League) Have Chris Lewis who is batting .333 with 35 RBIs (second best in the league for both categories).

Ashley Vogl appointed as Director of Volleyball Operations

The newly created post of Director of Volleyball Operations was given to ex-player Ashley Vogal yesterday. Colleen Munson was very high on having someone who had been through the Bronco's program take up the responsibility:

"Having gone through our program as a student-athlete for five years, she knows what we do. Now, she will help organize and orchestrate behind the scenes to make the experience of the current student-athlete what her experience was and enable them to just focus on volleyball."

The position touches every aspect of the Volleyball program; community outreach, acting as an alumni liaison, and working with the Marketing Office to promote the team. She will also be a resource for the coaching staff to use in handling their administrative activities like, recruiting, travel arrangements, and organizing Summer Camps.

The position is not just a first job for Vogl it is a chance to give back to a program which she took great joy in being a part of:

"I thought this was a nice way to give back to something that has given me so much. I appreciate the coaching staff for giving me this opportunity to stay involved in the program."