By John Agovino, Associate College Football Editor
2009 SEASON IN REVIEW: After making a bowl appearance in 2008, the Broncos took a major step backwards in 2009, and their failure to make another bowl, or compete for a Mid-American Conference crown left the fans in Kalamazoo unsettled.
The fifth season under the tutelage of coach Bill Cubit began with back-to-
back losses to Big Ten opponents Michigan and Indiana, but the Broncos battled
back with wins over Miami-Ohio and Hofstra. After splitting their next four
games with victories over Toledo and Buffalo and setbacks to Northern Illinois
and Central Michigan, the Broncos took a nose dive down the stretch. At 4-4,
and 3-2 in league play Western Michigan dropped three of its last four
contests, with the lone win coming against the hapless Eastern Michigan
Eagles. The worst of those three setbacks came in the season finale against
Ball State, as the Cardinals used a fourth quarter punt return to slip past
coach Cubit's crew, and send the Broncos into the off-season with a sub .500
ledger and no chance for a bowl berth.
2010 ANALYSIS:
OFFENSE: With the 2009 season behind him, coach Cubit comes into the new year
with one major task, replacing Tim Hiller at quarterback. As of now Alex
Carder has the lead to be the opening day starter over Tyler VanTubbergen, and
coach Cubit feels Carder has the tools to fill in nicely under center.
"I think (quarterback) Alex Carder proved himself this spring," said coach
Cubit. "I thought he did a good job in terms of throwing the ball really well,
making good decisions, understanding what he has to do and making plays."
However, if Carder is the quarterback to start the season he will be playing
behind a front line with some question marks. Four players with starting
experience return, two of which are guard Nick Clemens and tackle Anthony
Parker, but there is also a chance that three sophomores will be on the field
to kick off the year. Fortunately, if any of those newcomers do not pan out
there is reliable experience on the bench in Phillip Swanson and Nick
Mitchell.
While the front line could be an issue for the Broncos this season the one
area coach Cubit does not have any concern about is at receiver, where the
team returns some talented weapons. Robert Arnheim, who hauled in 59
receptions last season, will likely be the top target, but Juan Nunez and
Jordan White are also two upperclassmen with plenty of experience in big game
situations. Also, look for sophomore Ansel Ponder to expand on his impressive
freshman campaign. While the loss of Hiller has been the main focus, the
loss of tailback Brandon West certainly cannot be overlooked. West was one of
the top backs in the conference last year and there is not much experience on
the roster to replace him. As of now, Aaron Winchester, who had just 46
carries in 2009 will be the back for WMU this season. However, do not be
surprised if freshman Brian Fields also earns some carries.
DEFENSE: What crippled the Broncos last season was their inconsistent play on
defense, mainly against the pass where Western Michigan finished 92nd in the
nation. However, former Hofstra head coach Dave Cohen is now the new defensive
coordinator in Kalamazoo and he is planning on using a 4-2-5 formation at
times this year, giving the Broncos some extra help in that area.
Jamail Berry, who grabbed five interceptions last season, and Doug Wiggins
will man the safety positions, but that does not help the corner situation
where there is virtually no one on the roster with much experience. At the
present moment, it is possible Lewis Toler, a freshman, will open the year on
the other side of Damond Smith, who is only a sophomore. If they are unable to
perform on a consistent basis the next two options could be Jermaine Vereen
and Tronic Williams, both of whom are freshman. Clearly the secondary is
filled with green players that will be thrown into the fire.
Deauntay Legrier had a tremendous freshman campaign at middle linebacker and
will be back at that spot this year. He will be joined by fellow sophomores
Chris Prom and Dex Jones. Both Prom and Jones showed flashes of greatness last
season, and along with Legrier, could form a tenacious group for the next
few seasons.
The biggest off-season recruit for WMU on the defensive side of the football
could be John Rice, cousin of Hall of Fame receiver Jerry Rice. The junior
college transfer will man the tackle position alongside of Weston Peiffer, as
the two players will try to improve WMU's run defense, which allowed 4.7 ypc a
year ago.
SPECIAL TEAMS: Ponder, who will likely see his role increase in the passing
game, will also play a vital role for special teams as well. The sophomore has
explosive speed and can make a game-changing play at any moment. White, who is
a fellow receiver, will also have his chance to help the Broncos on special
teams, as he will likely take care of punt returns. The kicking game was very
inconsistent this past season, and although John Potter nailed 10-of-15 field
goals, only one of those successful kicks came from beyond 40 yards. As for
the punter, Ben Armer, his 39.0 yards per punt will definitely have to improve
this season.
OUTLOOK: Last year should have produced more success for the Broncos, but the
team underachieved. This year Western Michigan is not expected to make much
noise, so maybe coach Cubit can get his guys to rise up to the challenge. It
will not be easy however, as the Broncos will have a daunting road schedule
which begins in game one at Michigan State. After the Spartans, Western
Michigan does host three winnable games against Nicholls State, Toledo and
Idaho. Unfortunately, the schedule will make the Broncos road-weary. as five
of the next eight games will come away from home. Two of those conference road
games come against tough opponents in Central Michigan and Bowling Green,
while the out of conference matchup will be played in South Bend against the
Notre Dame Fighting Irish. The Broncos won just five games last season with
plenty of key returning starters. Without them in 2010, more victories is
probably unrealistic.