(DY #1) WMU's first game under new head coach - arotwlv's Dynasty

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(DY #1) WMU's first game under new head coach

Posted on August 23, 2011 at 07:23 PM.

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Joesph William s first game as head coach went a little differently than thought. This was his first game since taking over the helm at Western Michigan University. His squad was going against a 3-1 Bowling Green team. BGSU featured one of the top receivers in the nation in Steven Mathis, who was also leading the nation in receptions. Western was being led by JR QB Lee Holiday and one of the best offense s in the entire nation. They were fifth in the nation in total offense, fourth for passing and tenth for first for first downs. Western was ninth in turnover difference. Their defense was led by 4 players leading 6 individual categories in the whole nation. Now that is something WMU is not used to.

The game got started off by a quick drive from WMU that took only 1 minute. Their first score was a 4 yard TD pass from QB Lee Holiday to WR Erick Montgomery. Montgomery is a true freshman with freak 6 foot 4 size and very fast feet that can get him down the field quickly. Bowling Green was able to answer back with a 5 yard rushing TD from John Mason with 4 minutes and 7 seconds left in the first. The 1st quarter ended without any more scores because of great defense from both sides.

Quarter 2 started off with a very quick play, but this time on the defensive side. Only 8 seconds in Justin Carcia was able to pick up a fumble and take it 35 yard for a TD. The forced fumble was caused by RLB Sam Hamby laying a big hit on QB Paul Williamson of BGSU. Following were a couple of 3 and outs from both teams. Late in the 2nd quarter BGSU was able to score a 9 yard TD pass to tie the game back at 14-14. With only 19 seconds left many people thought Western would run it out. That wasn�t what Joe William s was thinking. He was able to drive the whole field and score a 33 yard FG as time expired in the first half. Halftime Score was WMU-17 BGSU-14. Second half recap after the break.

Coming out of the halftime break both teams aimed to do more on the defensive side of the ball. For the next 4 minutes, that was what it was all about. Both defenses were able to stop the offense and were forcing punts. On WMU s second drive of the third quarter QB Lee Holiday was hurt on a redzone sack. The following play, backup Jammal Huffman, threw his only pass of the game for a costly interception. Luckily for Western, they were able to stop BGSU before they could score. With about 3 minutes left, Clay Leonard caught a 3 yard pass from Lee Holiday to put WMU up 24-14. Bowling Green was able to answer back a couple minutes later with a 23 yard pass from Paul Williamson to his WR Joe Blalock. The following kick off was taken all the way back for 99 yards by Keith Walton. Western missed the extra point on a botched hold. The end of the third quarter ended with the WMU up 30-21.
With only one quarter remaining it looked like it was going to be a close game. It took BGSU it�s third drive of the quarter to finally put points on the board. They were able to get a 8 yard TD pass to Josh Rutledge that was also his second on the day. That put Bowling Green within 2 points closer to winning the ball game. Only they would never get any closer. WMU was able to score a 5 yard run from Dave Myers with a little less than a minute thirty left. The game ended with an odd called field goal from Western that finally gave them a win in conference play. The final score was WMU-40 BGSU-28.

This game was a good sign for things to come for newly appointed head coach Joesph Williams. WMU is now 2-4 (1-1) while BGSU falls to 3-3 (1-1) and also are which on a 3 game losing streak. The players of the game were BGSU s QB Paul Williamson (21-36,237 Yds, 3 TDs) and WMU s QB Lee Holiday (16-23, 268 Yds, 2 TDs). Stat wise BGSU and WMU were very close in most of the categories. The only stats that stood out were the special teams. This was because of WMU s Keith Walton s 99 yard kick return for a TD and WMU s ability to cover any punts and kickoffs. BGSU actually had 6 more minutes with the ball, but failed to produce any points. Next for BGSU is a home game against Toledo. Bowling Green is looking to bounce back and stay above .500. For the Western Michigan Broncos, they have to face a Northern Illinois squad out of state. WMU is looking to build on coach William s first win as a head coach. With only a 1 year contract, he is looking to prove why he should be offered an extension.