Game Stats
Post-Game Notes
Post-Game Quotes
MOSCOW, Idaho - Western Michigan football reached the 50-point mark for the second time in as many seasons and the first time over a Division I-FBS team since scoring 57 against Ball State in 2005, in a 51-28 win at Idaho in the Kibbie Dome on Saturday.
Western Michigan used tenacious second-half defense and methodic drives on offense to earn its second win in a row and the program's fourth over a Western Athletic Conference team. The Broncos registered an interception for a touchdown, five sacks and a safety en route to the Broncos' road victory.
Along with the victory, a career record has a new owner at Western Michigan. With his 38-yard kick return in the fourth quarter, Brandon West broke the record for career kick return yards. He needed 62 to take over the mark and now holds the record at 1,746, as a junior.
Tim Hiller threw four touchdowns for the third time in his career and first time since Nov. 12, 2005 against Central Michigan. He is now tied with Brad Tayles for the second-most in a WMU career. He is one away from joining Tim Lester as the only two Broncos to have thrown for 50 or more touchdowns in a career. He finished the game with 241 yards on 23-for-31 passing (74.2 percent).
With Idaho driving to open the game, Louis Delmas stopped the Vandals in their tracks with his first-career interception for a touchdown. He intercepted the pass, his third in as many games to start the 2008 season, thanks in part to pressure on the Idaho quarterback, Nathan Enderle, by Austin Pritchard.
Delmas, now with an active program best 11 career interceptions, picked off the pass with no one but white WMU jerseys around has he ran untouched 47 yards for the game's opening score.
The score also gave Western Michigan a take away in its last seven games and in 39 of its last 40. The Broncos have returned an interception for a touchdown five times over the past four seasons.
Idaho answered two drives later with a 49-yard strike from Enderle to Eddie Williams. On third down, just shy of midfield, Enderle pump-faked and hit Williams on a seam as WMU defensive end Zach Davidson was rushing Enderle on his blind side. The score, the culmination of an 11-play, 90-yard drive, tied the game with 2:29 to go in the opening quarter. Williams ended the quarter with three receptions for 71 yards.
After the Vandals controlled the ball on offense for 10:23 of the first quarter, Western Michigan opened the second quarter driving. The Broncos' effort stalled at Idaho's seven-yard line after Tim Hiller's hook up with Schneider Julien came up short.
John Potter came onto the field to attempt the third field goal of his career but the Broncos faked the attempt as holder Tim Balice took the snap and ran through the left side. His first career rush came up two yards short and WMU turned the ball over on downs.
The Bronco defense forced the Vandals to punt and then Hiller and the Western Michigan offense went to work on a seven-play, 75-yard scoring drive to take a 14-7 lead with 2:48 remaining before halftime. Hiller was a perfect 6-for-6 for 68 yards on the drive and ended it with an 18-yard strike to Simmons. Hiller ended the half 14-for-17 (82.4 percent) for 131 yards and the score.
Hiller opened the drive with a completion to Julien for eight yards. After a seven-yard run by Aaron Winchester, Hiller found Simmons and Juan Nunez on successive plays for a combined 16 yards. After a false start on the Broncos, Hiller hit Winchester in the middle of the field for 12 yards and then the play of the drive came on a completion to Nunez.
Nunez caught a five-yard in route and spun up field for a 17-yard gain to Idaho's 18-yard line. Hiller found Simmons on the next play. It was Hiller's 46th-career TD pass, putting alone in third on the all-time list. Simmons' first half effort of 45 yards was enough to move him into sixth on the career receiving yards list and made him just the sixth Bronco to have over 1,900 yards receiving in a career.
After Western Michigan showed its ability to work down the field for a score, Idaho did not put the ball back in Hiller and Co.'s hands, opting for an onside kick, which the Vandals recovered. The ensuing seven-play, 53-yard drive resulted in a Deonte Jackson two-yard scoring run after the Vandals were able to convert on a pair of third-and-long conversions.
With the score knotted at 14, WMU took the field and used 3:11 of game clock to traverse 80 yards on eight plays en route to the go ahead score, a one-yard pass from Hiller to Branden Ledbetter. The drive was aided in large part to three long Brandon West runs and a pass interference call on third-and-10. West ended the first half with 16 yards rushing on five carries. After the Broncos first drive of the second half, he had 70 yards on nine carries. He had three runs of 24, 11 and 26 yards, respectively, to spark the offense.
The Broncos did not rest on a one-touchdown lead. On the ensuing kick off, freshman Josh Price forced Idaho kick returner Idaho Dewey Hale to fumble and WMU teammate Kirk Elsworth recovered. The Broncos rewarded West for his work on the previous drive, giving him the ball inside the five-yard line for the ninth rushing touchdown of his career. The spinning run through the right side of the line gave the Broncos a 28-14 lead midway through the third quarter.
Price was back at it on the Broncos' next defensive series, sacking Enderle in the end zone for his first-career safety, giving Western Michigan a 30-14 lead and the ball. The Brown & Gold used that possession to their advantage, moving the ball 39 yards, after a return by Julien and an Idaho penalty for a late hit out of bounds, for another score. Hiller found Ledbetter in the back of the end zone from 16 yards out on fourth down.
It marked the second-straight game Hiller has thrown for three touchdowns in a game and it also marked the second multi-touchdown game of Ledbetter's career, leaving him one career reception shy of 100. He would hit the century mark on his next reception at the 11:18 mark of the fourth quarter.
With the game in hand, sophomore quarterback Drew Burdi ran up the middle on successive plays with the second resulting in a 42-yard scoring run, the first of his career. It was also the longest play from scrimmage for the Broncos.
Western Michigan returns to Waldo Stadium for a showdown with Tennessee Tech of the Ohio Valley Conference on Sept. 20. Education Day kicks off at 7 p.m.
