Western Michigan Broncos 2018 Football Preview
Opening Statement: Year one under Tim Lester was a huge letdown from the end of the OJ Fleck era, as WMU finished just 6-6 and was left out of the bowl circuit. Considering the year before, 2017 could not have been much more of a disappointment. We should see some improvement in 2018, as 8 starters return on offense, but the defense could cause some issues, as 4 starters return there. Lester is going to have to find some continuity and balance with the roster soon, or else the program could quickly start to slide in the wrong direction, much as it had been doing prior to Fleck's arrival.
Breakdown Offense: Jon Wassink returns at QB for the Broncos, and if he can stay healthy, that would be a huge net gain this fall. He broke his collarbone against Eastern Michigan in week 8, and the season went completely south from there. He passed for 1391 yards and 14 TDs to 4 INTs, and completed 64.2% of his passes. He added 3 more rushing scores to his totals as well. If he is healthy, things look up. Alex Mussat projects as the primary backup, as Reece Goddard is no longer with the program.
Jarvion Franklin has moved on at RB, leaving a massive hole in offensive productivity. Jamauri Bogan is the starter now after rushing for 589 yards as the backup last fall. He scored 3 times, and averaged 5.26 yards per carry. LeVante Bellamy will likely end up sharing some carries, and is a serious home run back with an average of 8.04 yards per carry last fall. Davon Tucker should fill out the 3rd back role this fall.
Keishawn Watson, Anton Curtis, and D'Wayne Eskridge all return to start at WR, which should let the Broncos open things up a bit in the passing game. Eskridge caught 30 passes for 506 yards last fall with 3 TDs, and an average of 16.87 yards per catch. Watson caught 41 passes and was good for 7 TDs last fall, while Curtis caught 18 passes. Drake Harris, a grad transfer from Michigan, will likely be used in a variety of ways.
Donnie Ernsberger is gone at TE, so look for Giovanni Ricci to take over there, as Odell Miller fills in as the backup.
The line returns 4 starters, and should be the strength of the offense. Mike Caliendo (LG), John Keenoy (C), Luke Juriga (RG), and Zach Novoselsky (RT) are all back in action. Jaylon Moore, a sophomore, projects to start at LT. Jordan Asbury and Mark Brooks back up at the Guard spots, and Spencer Kanz backs up at Tackle. Alex Keys is the backup at C.
Breakdown Defense: The Broncos return just 3 starters on defense, but 2 are at DE. Antonino Balabani joins Eric Assoua as the bookends. Balabani finished with 7 TFLs last fall, while Assoua totaled 5.5. Ralph Holley and Ken Finley figure in at DT as new starters. Finley, a senior, played in just 3 games last fall. DeShawn Foster and Ali Fayad are the backups at DE, but there is no depth inside.
With the loss of Robert Spillane and Caleb Bailey at LB, the Broncos lose a total of 22 TFLs and 152 tackles. The entire unit must be rebuilt. Drake Spears, Treshaun Hayward, and Alex Grace are all penciled in as new starters. Spears is the most experienced, as he totaled 31 tackles last fall. Again, depth is just not there.
The Broncos expected to have Sam Beal back at CB, but he bolted for the NFL Supplemental Draft, and was chosen by the New York Giants. That leaves just one starter returning in the secondary in FS Stefan Claiborne. He totaled 64 tackles last fall, and totaled 2 PBUs. Emanual Jackson is one new starter at CB, while Obbie Jackson now steps in from the NB spot to take over for Beal is the most likely scenario. Justin Tranquill pencils in as the starter at SS. This is going to be a very raw unit with very little overall depth.
Breakdown Special Teams: Josh Grant returns at PK but struggled last fall in hitting just 15/23 FG attempts. He needs to amp up his game as a sophomore.
Isaac Gerkis takes over on Punts this fall as a freshman.
With Darius Phillips gone, the Broncos face a huge void in the return game on both kicks and punts. Phillips left as the all-time leading career scorer on kicks and punt returns in FBS history.
Final Analysis: I think that year 2 under Lester could end up just as bumpy as year one was. While the offense should rebound with Wassink taking snaps, the defense could ultimately implode. There is so little depth, and such a lack of experience among projected starters, that the coming season borders on scary when you think of how bad it can go with the talent on hand, or lack thereof. Western could still make a push for a middle of the pack finish in the MAC West, but anything better than that is just sticking one's neck out much too far. This could be a wild ride, and not for good reasons.
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