The Western Michigan Broncos (0-1) take to the road for the second-straight game to start the 2022 season when they travel to Indiana to take on the Ball State Cardinals (0-1) on Saturday afternoon. The Broncos opened the season with a 35-13 loss to #14 Michigan State in Lansing, MI. Ball State also had a tough opener, falling 59-10 to Tennessee in Knoxville, TN last Thursday night. Both teams will be looking to get off on the right foot in their first Mid American Conference game of 2022. The opening kickoff is set for 2pm EST.
Western Michigan travels to Ball State on Saturday afternoon hoping to have a better outcome than the team had on Friday night in East Lansing against the Spartans of Michigan State. Despite the loss, the Broncos showed some promise against a Top-15 team on the road. Redshirt-freshman quarterback Jack Salopek handled the pressure of a packed opposing stadium, throwing for 193 yards and rushing for 36 yards in his first ever start. Tight end Blake Bosma, another redshirt freshman, had five catches for 35 yards and running back Sean Tyler was solid on the ground with 68 yards on 13 carries. Wide receivers Corey Grooms and Jehlani Galloway showed out with 111 combined yards receiving as well.
Defensively, the Broncos came out very sharp, holding the Spartans to two-straight three-and-outs. Linebacker Ryan Selig led the Broncos with nine tackles and defensive end Andre Carter finished second on the team with seven tackles and a half sack. The Broncos briefly held a 3-0 lead before the Spartans regained their footing and scored three straight touchdowns to close the half and take a 21-3 lead into halftime. The defense shut out the Spartans in the third quarter and after two scores, the Broncos trailed just 21-13 entering the fourth quarter before two more Spartans touchdowns sealed the deal. WMU head coach Tim Lester lamented his team's loss opportunities after the game, particularly the turnovers:
“We didn't get the job done. Our number one thing coming into the game was to take care of the ball and I don't think we did a good job of that. Obviously, we turned the ball over twice in the red zone, two lost fumbles. We need to be better to beat a good team like that. Good game for [quarterback] Jack [Salopek]. I thought, numbers-wise, he had a decent day. He probably wouldn't agree. He thinks there were too many things he missed. He has a high expectation of hims elf, and he is going to get better. I was overall happy with the effort and happy with the fight, but we have got to be able to take care of the ball and have to make more plays.”
Week 1 Recap vs. MSU #LetsRide | #BroncosReign pic.twitter.com/7XAnrvSFEb
— Western Michigan Football (@WMU_Football) September 5, 2022
The Broncos showed promise in the opener, particularly against a team that has major bowl aspirations. Western Michigan was 6-for-18 on third down conversions while holding Michigan State to just 30% on third down conversions. They were very competitive with the Spartans in a number of categories, including first downs 10-9, and total offense at 334 yards to 430 yards. Ultimately, the Broncos were done in by turnovers, fumbling twice in the red zone in a close game. There aren't any moral in football but the Broncos were a few key plays away from a possible upset on the road in front of a hostile crowd with a first-time starting quarterback.