Western Michigan couldn't stop anyone's passing attack, had no ground game, and was incredibly inconsistent all the way around. Yet the Broncos still won five games and battle Michigan State in the opener. Even so, the team needs to start winning after spending the last two years dealing with several near misses. Unfortunately there isn't a major upgrade anywhere to suggest that there will be a huge improvement.
This is a team that was used to being one of the MAC elite and still needs at least another year to try and get there again. There are several decent young prospects and as many NFL caliber players as any other MAC team, but there isn't the overall depth and experience necessary to challenge in the West. That might not be good for head coach Gary Darnell who needs to show in his eighth year that the program is close to being as good as Toledo or Bowling Green. That might be a tall order for a team that needs as much time as this one does.
The Schedule: The opener vs. Tennessee-Martin is the breather followed up by three straight road games. To make matters worse, the road trip is followed up by Toledo. Fortunately, WMU gets the Rockets and Northern Illinois at home, but facing Miami and at Marshall from the East is as unfair as it gets.
Best Defensive Player: Junior WR Greg Jennings. Jennings exploded last year as one of the nation's most dangerous deep threats catching 56 passes for 1,050 yards and 14 touchdowns. He was a top home run hitter, mostly against bad MAC defenses, and now has to prove he can handle the pressure of being a marked man for the better secondaries.
Best Defensive Player: Senior DE Jack Gilter. Lost in Jason Babin's fantastic season was the strong performance by Gilter on the other side. He was a strong all-around defender making 88 tackles with seven sacks and 19 tackles for loss, and now he'll be the number one guy on the line with Babin off making millions with the Tennessee Titans.
Key player to a successful season: Most of the problems can be fixed, but the season won't go anywhere unless a quarterback emerges from the pack. Rutgers transfer Ryan Cubit has the line on the job, but junior Blayne Baggett, junior Robbie Haas and true freshman Alex Engram will all get their turns at bat in summer practices.
The season will be a success if ... Western Michigan finishes with a winning season. If all goes according to form there should be at least four sure wins on the schedule. If the team is taking the step back to MAC prominence it needs to, it has to beat a big boy or three like Northern Illinois or Toledo to finish with a winning record.
Key game: Oct. 9 vs. Toledo. The Broncos should be able to handle Ball State on the road early, so they need to set the tone for the rest of the MAC season by beating Toledo in Kalamazoo. With Northern Illinois, Bowling Green, Miami and Marshall still to go, this is a must win.
2003 Fun Stats:
- Time of possession: Opponents 33:12 - Western Michigan 26:37
- Rushing yards per game: Opponents 179.7 - Western Michigan 81.1
- First downs: Opponents 272 - Western Michigan 214
This is a team that was used to being one of the MAC elite and still needs at least another year to try and get there again. There are several decent young prospects and as many NFL caliber players as any other MAC team, but there isn't the overall depth and experience necessary to challenge in the West. That might not be good for head coach Gary Darnell who needs to show in his eighth year that the program is close to being as good as Toledo or Bowling Green. That might be a tall order for a team that needs as much time as this one does.
The Schedule: The opener vs. Tennessee-Martin is the breather followed up by three straight road games. To make matters worse, the road trip is followed up by Toledo. Fortunately, WMU gets the Rockets and Northern Illinois at home, but facing Miami and at Marshall from the East is as unfair as it gets.
Best Defensive Player: Junior WR Greg Jennings. Jennings exploded last year as one of the nation's most dangerous deep threats catching 56 passes for 1,050 yards and 14 touchdowns. He was a top home run hitter, mostly against bad MAC defenses, and now has to prove he can handle the pressure of being a marked man for the better secondaries.
Best Defensive Player: Senior DE Jack Gilter. Lost in Jason Babin's fantastic season was the strong performance by Gilter on the other side. He was a strong all-around defender making 88 tackles with seven sacks and 19 tackles for loss, and now he'll be the number one guy on the line with Babin off making millions with the Tennessee Titans.
Key player to a successful season: Most of the problems can be fixed, but the season won't go anywhere unless a quarterback emerges from the pack. Rutgers transfer Ryan Cubit has the line on the job, but junior Blayne Baggett, junior Robbie Haas and true freshman Alex Engram will all get their turns at bat in summer practices.
The season will be a success if ... Western Michigan finishes with a winning season. If all goes according to form there should be at least four sure wins on the schedule. If the team is taking the step back to MAC prominence it needs to, it has to beat a big boy or three like Northern Illinois or Toledo to finish with a winning record.
Key game: Oct. 9 vs. Toledo. The Broncos should be able to handle Ball State on the road early, so they need to set the tone for the rest of the MAC season by beating Toledo in Kalamazoo. With Northern Illinois, Bowling Green, Miami and Marshall still to go, this is a must win.
2003 Fun Stats:
- Time of possession: Opponents 33:12 - Western Michigan 26:37
- Rushing yards per game: Opponents 179.7 - Western Michigan 81.1
- First downs: Opponents 272 - Western Michigan 214
