Broncos stomp Zips en route to convincing 42-14 win

The Western Michigan Broncos (7-3, 5-1 MAC) got whatever they wanted on the offensive side of the ball Tuesday night at InfoCision Stadium, amassing over 550 total yards and passing at a 93 percent completion rating in a 42-14 victory over the Akron Zips (1-9, 0-6 MAC).

The start of the game initially looked grim for the visiting side, as quarterback Broc Lowry took a hard hit to the turf on a fourth-and-one play on Western's opening drive, requiring him to sit out multiple series to address a wound on his face.

Enter third-string quarterback Mason Reynolds, who was pressed into duty due to an injury to second-stringer Trey Petty. After the Akron offense went four-and-out to give WMU the ball at their own 39-yard line, Reynolds led the Broncos to a touchdown in relief, completing both pass attempts for 41 yards and getting a 35-yard to set up his own three-yard pass to Nathan Levicki for a touchdown to go up 7-0 with 2:23 to go in the first quarter.

Cole Cabana, playing in the place of the injured Ofa Mataele, scored an 82-yard rushing touchdown to open up the second quarter, putting the Broncos up 14-0 with 12:47 remaining in the first half.

Akron quarterback Cibastian Broughton broke the shutout in explosive fashion, flashing passes of 28 and 11 yards down the field before connecting with Marcel Williams for a 35-yard touchdown pass to cleave the WMU lead in half at 14-7 just over a minute of game clock later.

The Broncos would effectively close the half with a matriculating, slow-rolling drive lasting over nine minutes, rushing the ball 15 times to two passes (both first-down conversions) before Jalen Buckley punched the ball through to make the score 21-7 with 2:00 remaining in the first half.

Akron's response was a three-and-out doomed by a Cibastian Broughton fumble, and the score at halftime remained 21-7.

Success would not find the Zips in the third quarter either, limited to two-straight three-and-outs and another failed drive affected by an early personal foul penalty.

Western pounced on those struggles, breaking the game open in the fourth quarter's opening minutes, with Broc Lowry's touchdown pass to Keivin Boone-Nelson from 20 yards out capping a quarter-crossing drive to push the score up to 35-7 with 13:44 remaining.

Western cleared the benches after that, with Akron's Cibasitan Broughton finding Marcel Williams once again on a 39-yard passing touchdown, and Mason Reynolds connecting with Nathan Levicki for a second time to close down the game at its final 42-14 tally.

The Broncos put on a parade in enemy territory, collecting 566 yards of total offense against the Zips defense, including 360 yards rushing and 206 yards passing. WMU had two rushers pass the century mark, with Jalen Buckley (23 carries, 121 yards, two touchdowns) and Cole Cabana (nine carries, 107 yards, TD) both getting over 100 yards. In all, seven Broncos collected at least one tote, with five getting over 30 yards.

The passing game played a crucial role as well, with both Broc Lowry and Mason Reynolds contributing positively. The duo combined to complete 93 percent of their passes for three touchdowns. Lowry in particular impressed, going a perfect 15-of-15 for 149 yards and a touchdown. Reynolds was 7-of-8 for 57 yards and two scores. Baylin Brooks was the leading receiver with 78 yards on eight catches, while Nathan Levicki (four catches, 25 yards) notched both touchdowns.

DeJuan Echoles Jr. and Domanick Moon stepped up in the absence of team-leading tackler Justyce Betts, each notching four tackles. Josh Franklin and Snoop Gardner each collected a sack, while Austin Alexander had two pass break-ups. On the day, the Broncos defense gave up just 233 yards, 1-of-8 third downs and denied Akron's only fourth-down attempt on the night, limiting the Zips offense to 17:14 of possession.

Cibastian Broughton finished 12-of-18 for 173 yards and two touchdowns, both to Marcel Williams (team-leading five receptions and 85 yards.) The game state forced Akron away from the rushing game, with only 19 carries on the night. Jordan Gant had nine of those, for 61 yards. Miles Burris had three catches for 55 yards.

Tairan Davis added to his already-impressive numbers at defensive back, leading the team with an eye-popping 15 total tackles, including 13 solo stops. Donelius Johnson was second with nine stops, including a team-leading two TFLs. Cyrus Durham and Jalen Williams combined for a sack.

Western now prepares to face rival Eastern Michigan for a contest scheduled for next Tuesday night at Waldo Stadium. WMU currently holds the Michigan MAC trophy over both CMU and EMU, and retains it regardless of result due to WMU's win over CMU and CMU's win over EMU.

Akron will travel to Amherst to face a UMass Minutemen squad looking to claim their first-ever .500 record as an FBS program next Wednesday night.