Know Your Opponent: Scouting the Western Michigan Broncos
Michigan State and Western Michigan square off again in another Friday night season-opener for the Spartans. These two programs have played six times since 2009, five of those matchups occurring in East Lansing and one in Kalamazoo.
Here’s what we know about the Broncos heading into the 2022 season:
Coaching Staff
Western Michigan is coached by Tim Lester, who is also a WMU alum and former quarterback. This will be his third time competing against MSU as a head coach, and you can add a fourth matchup if you include his playing career.
Western Michigan’s offensive coordinator Jeff Thorne is the father of Michigan State quarterback Payton Thorne. The elder Thorne is in his first year as the Broncos’ play-caller after being one of the best head coaches in Division III for years at North Central College. The defensive coordinator is Lou Esposito, who was a Division II head coach at Davenport before being hired at Western Michigan in 2017.
Offense
The Broncos seem to have found a starting quarterback in redshirt freshman Jack Salopek after a drawn-out QB battle this offseason. This isn’t the first time there has been QB controversy in Kalamazoo under Lester, and Week 1 under the lights of Spartan Stadium will be tough for WMU’s new signal-caller.
The Broncos will rely heavily on its running backs, junior Sean Tyler and senior La’Darius Jefferson. A former Michigan State player, Jefferson transferred to Western Michigan in 2020 and has carved out a thunder and lighting tandem with Tyler in the Bronco backfield.
Western Michigan lost its top offensive weapon from 2021, wide receiver Skyy Moore, how was drafted by the Kansas City Cheifs this past offseason. Junior WR Corey Crooms returns to Kalamazoo after compiling 768 yards and six touchdowns on 44 catches last season.
Western Michigan returns only two starting offensive lineman from 2021.
Defense
The Broncos had the best total defense in the Mid-American Conference last season, and return over half their starters on that side of the football. Western Michigan returns each of their starting linebackers, including senior Zaire Barnes, who will headline that defense.
The Broncos did lose the MAC defensive player of the year, defensive lineman Ali Fayad, which is arguably their biggest loss from last season. Redshirt junior defensive end Andre Carter is a name to watch along WMU’s D-line, as he looks to increase his production in the absence of Fayad.
Fifth-year safety Bricen Garner is Western Michigan’s only returning starter in the secondary, but where the Broncos’ defense lacks experience they make up for it in veterans who have been in the system for multiple seasons.
Overall
Western Michigan is one of the favorites to win the MAC West in 2022, but the Broncos are breaking in several new starters at key positions. There is likely to be an adjustment period early this season for the Broncos.
WMU upset Pittsburgh early during the 2021 season, but did so with a more experienced squad. The Broncos stacked two strong recruiting classes in 2017 and 2018 that led to much of their success in recent years, but most of those players have now graduated.
Michigan State should win this game handly. The directional schools in Michigan (Central, Eastern, Western) are always geared up to play the big boys in the state – Michigan and Michigan State – but the Spartans have much more talent than the Broncos.
Michigan State is 14-2 overall against Western Michigan, and has not lost in this series since 1919.
