Aaron Leeper's (58 yards on 14 carries) two fumbles hurt the grade, were uncharacteristic for the redshirt freshmen, and hurt the Bulls tremendously. The worst one came at the Western Michigan six-yard line after Mike Lambert's 87-yard interception return midway through the third quarter. Redshirt freshmen Dave Dawson was dynamic filling in for Leeper after the second fumble. The 5'8" running back scored his first collegiate touchdown late in the third quarter and had 50 yards on only seven carries. The offensive line was solid and got better as the game wore on.
Grade: C
Randall Secky was 17 of 36 for 136 yards and had a 9-yard touchdown pass to Maurice Bradford on the drive following Dawson's TD run. His lone interception was negated because Scott Robinson fumbled immediately after picking off Secky and UB recovered the fumble. Another disappointing game from the wide receivers other than Andre Forde (3 catches, 33 yards) and tight end Chad Bartoszek (5 - 26 yards). Bartoszek, Forde and the running backs Leeper and Dawson accounted for 13 of Secky's 17 completions. Pass protection was shaky as Secky was sacked five times, but the Broncos have the best pass rush in the MAC.
Grade: B-
Defensive Coordinator Thurmond Moore used some different personnel packages to try to combat the Broncos' potent offense, but it wasn't very effective until mid-way through the second quarter. Philip Reed had 100 of his 142 yards rushing in the first half, and 64 yards in the first quarter alone. Defensive line and linebackers stiffened up as the game went on. This unit is making progress every game, and they forced two fumbles.
Grade: B
WMU hit their passing yard average of 282 yards (actually they had 283), and that average was built against stiff competition. Defensive line was superb, getting seven sacks and multiple hurries, helping the secondary get two interceptions. Western Michigan's screen plays were executed to perfection, and hurt the Bulls throughout the game.
Grade: B
Probably the best gameplan I've seen put together this year, although I didn't make the trip to Rutgers. A couple of dropped passes made the passing game look worse than it was, and the Bulls ran for more yards than I expected, especially against a very tough Bronco defense. The UB defense was shaky at first, but settled down quickly and really only allowed Western Michigan to have four time-consuming drives.
Note: Special Teams coaching was not taken into account for this grade.
Grade: A
You win and lose as a team, but certain parts of the team have a bigger impact than others. I'll get to the point: Special teams lost the game for the Bulls. A blocked punt led to Western Michigan's second touchdown. Three plays later, Bronco return man Kendrick Mosley brought back punter Scott McMahon's 44-yard kick all the way back for a 64-yard touchdown. He wasn't touched. Mosley had 138 yards on five returns. The first "F" I've given out all season and hopefully the last.
Grade: F
Photo: Breadchastick / Wikimedia Commons
