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 AKRON, OHIO – Coming into the game Saturday afternoon at InfoCision Stadium, Western Michigan quarterback Alex Carder led the Mid-American Conference in total offense with almost 287 yards per game. With the Akron defense allowing 438 yards per game, it didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out the visiting Broncos were decided favorites. They lived up to that role, scoring often on the way to a 56-10 victory before an announced crowd of 10,073.
Western Michigan (3-4, 2-1 MAC) had season highs in both points (56) and total yards (519) as it moved just 1 ½ games behind Western Division leaders Northern Illinois and Toledo. The Huskies go to Kalamazoo Saturday.
“It was a pretty good performance. I thought our defense played really well. The offense set the tone from the first possession. Now we have to build on it.” WMU head coach Bill Cubit said after the game. “We’re still in the (west) race. We got Northern coming in next.”
For Akron (0-8, 0-4 MAC) it was their 10th loss in the last 11 game, dating back to last season, as UA allowed a season high in points and gave up over 500 yards for the third time this season. The Zips are winless this late in a season for the first time since 2002.
“Disappointment-wise and performance-wise, this ranks as the worst of the season.” Akron head coach Rob Ianello said afterwards. “We went out in full pads last week to try and get our competitive juices flowing, and to come out here - we were not good in any phase, we had breakdowns all over the field”
Carder, a sophomore from Shawnee, Kansas, completed 17-of-24 passes for 372 yards and a career-best five touchdowns before being lifted late in the third quarter. He took over as WMU’s starting quarterback this season following the graduation of Tim Hiller. Carder celebrated his 19th birthday on Friday and his game against the Zips was some birthday present as his five touchdown passes and 372 yards was the second most of his young career. He had 403 yards in a home loss to Toledo back on September 18th.
“Last week (in the loss at Notre Dame), we showed ourselves and we showed people what we were capable of.” Carder said. “This week we executed. We didn’t take anything lightly we started off fast and went on from there.”
WMU got its spread offense going on their first possession, crisply moving the ball 70 yards in just four plays when Carder found senior wide receiver Juan Nunez on a fly pattern for 36 yards and a touchdown. UA cornerback Anthony Holmes fell down on the play and sustained an injury. He did not come back into the game.
The touchdown was the start of a big day for Nunez and fellow wide receiver senior Jordan White. Nunez, a fifth-year senior from Miami had six catches for 182 yards and three touchdowns - the fifth best receiving performance in school history. White, a native of North Ridgeville, Ohio led WMU with eight receptions for 168 yards and a pair of scores.
The competitive phase of the game ended in the second quarter when the Broncos scored touchdowns in four consecutive possessions.
The avalanche started at the beginning of the period when Carder and Nunez connected for the second time this one from 59 yards with Nunez wide open behind the secondary.
On Akron’s next possession, it was the WMU defense that got into the scoring column. Pinned deep in their territory, sophomore quarterback Patrick Nicely went back to pass from his own end zone, pressured by sophomore defensive tackle Freddie Bishop, Nicely tried to throw the ball away and not avoid a safety, but the ball went right into the chest of freshman tackle Travonte Boles, who registered a touchdown.
UA did its best to get into the game on the following possession as Nicely connected with freshman wide receiver Antoine Russell for 56 yards, putting the ball on the Western Michigan four yard line. Senior running back Alex Allen carried the ball five times (four downs and a penalty) but was stopped a final time at the three-yard line.
WMU took over and went 97 yards in just six plays for their third consecutive touchdown. The big play in the drive was a 57-yard completion by Carder to Nunez who simply had a field day against the UA secondary. The touchdown was a 34-yard strike to White who split the defense up the middle and went in untouched.
The Broncos final touchdown of the offensive tsunami was a six-play, 80-yard drive, with Carder completing five consecutive passes - the last being an 18-yarder to Nunez in the right corner of the end zone to make the score 35-0.
Akron finally got on the scoreboard with their final possession of the first half, moving the ball 51 yards from their own 20 to the WMU 23. With three seconds remaining in before intermission, place kicker Igor Iveljic connected on a 40-yard field goal to make the score 35-3 at halftime.
Carder was 7-of-8 for 226 yards and three touchdowns in the second quarter,
with Nunez catching four of those passes for 146 yards and two scores.
WMU’s first team offense started the third quarter and collected one more touchdown before their work was finished for the afternoon. After taking possession on their own 22- yard line after UA failed on a fourth down conversion, Carder engineered an 11-play 77-yard drive. White capped the drive with his second touchdown catch of the game, this one from 10-yards out, to make the score 42-3.
Akron’s lone touchdown came early in the fourth quarter. With the Broncos second team offense in the game, backup quarterback Tyler Van Tubbergen fumbled and sophomore linebacker Bryan Wagner scooped up the ball, racing 57 yards for his first career touchdown to make the score 42-10.
The Broncos got that touchdown back on the ensuing kickoff as junior Dervon Wallace returned Bronko Rogovic’s kick 91-yards for a touchdown. The visitors from Kalamazoo finished the scoring late in the fourth as backup running back Tevin Drake ran 57 yards down the right sideline for a touchdown.
Wagner’s fumble recovery for a touchdown was one of very few bright spots for the Zips. Another was senior running back Nate Burney who had 91 yards rushing on 16 carries.
Nicely, who was just 12-of-24 passing for 120 yards and the interception in the end zone for a WMU touchdown, was replaced in the fourth quarter by Dylan Potts. The freshman from Sardis, Ohio was Saturday’s backup as sophomore Matt Rodgers was unavailable due to a concussion.
While Western Michigan has NIU coming into Waldo Stadium next Saturday, UA heads out on a two-game road trip - the first being in South Philadelphia against Temple.
GAME BALLS:
OFFENSE: ALEX CARDER-WESTERN MICHIGAN… The sophomore from the suburbs of Kansas City completed 17-of-24 passes for 372 yards and five touchdowns. Carder came into the game second in the MAC in passing (261.2) and leads the MAC in total offense (286.8). He had 370 total offensive yards against UA.
DEFENSE: BRYAN WAGNER-AKRON…The sophomore from Springfield, Ohio had nine tackles in the game, a sack, and that 57-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown the first of his career and the first for UA defensively since Sean Fobbs last year against Temple
SPECIAL TEAMS: JOHN POTTER-WESTERN MICHIGAN…The junior from Grand Haven, Michigan made all eight of his point after kicks and has connected for at least one in 44 consecutive games.
NOTES: The game was the 16th lifetime meeting (WMU 12-4), sixth in Akron (4-2 WMU) and first at InfoCision Stadium…Jordan White-WMU third multi-touchdown game of his career…The Dervon Wallace-WMU kickoff return for a touchdown was the first for a Bronco since Brandon West in 2007 against Indiana…WMU head coach Bill Cubit is 2-1 lifetime against Akron…The 56 points scored by WMU was the third time in the last two seasons they reach that mark and the most given up by Akron since2001 (62 to Eastern Michigan 65-62 3OT W)…Shawn Lemon-AKR had two sacks the second best of his career ( 2 ½ vs Buffalo in 2009)
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