# 2023 Western Michigan Broncos football team

The 2023 Western Michigan Broncos football team represented Western Michigan University in the 2023 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Broncos played their home games at Waldo Stadium in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and competed in the West Division of the Mid-American Conference (MAC). They were led by first-year head coach Lance Taylor who was the offensive coordinator for Louisville in 2022. They finished the season 4–8 and 3–5 in conference play The Western Michigan Broncos football team drew an average home attendance of 17,619 in 2023.

## Preseason
### Preseason polls
#### Coaches Poll

On July 20, the MAC announced the preseason coaches poll. Western Michigan was picked to finish last in the West.
East :
| Predicted finish | Team | Votes (1st place) |
| 1 | Ohio | 63 (9) |
| 2 | Miami | 52 (2) |
| 3 | Buffalo | 51 (1) |
| 4 | Bowling Green | 35 |
| 5 | Akron | 26 |
| 6 | Kent State | 19 |
West :
| Predicted finish | Team | Votes (1st place) |
| 1 | Toledo | 66 (11) |
| 2 | Eastern Michigan | 55 (1) |
| 3 | Northern Illinois | 38 |
| 4 | Central Michigan | 37 |
| 5 | Ball State | 27 |
| 6 | Western Michigan | 23 |
Coaches poll (MAC Championship) :
| Rank | Team | Votes |
| 1 | Toledo | 7 |
| 2 | Ohio | 4 |
| 3 | Buffalo | 1 |

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| August 31 | 7:00 p.m. | Saint Francis (PA)* | Waldo StadiumKalamazoo, MI | ESPN+ | W 35–17 | 19,432 |
| September 9 | 3:30 p.m. | at Syracuse* | JMA Wireless DomeSyracuse, NY | ACCNX/ESPN+ | L 7–48 | 32,637 |
| September 16 | 3:30 p.m. | at No. 25 Iowa* | Kinnick StadiumIowa City, IA | BTN | L 10–41 | 69,250 |
| September 23 | 1:30 p.m. | at Toledo | Glass BowlToledo, OH | ESPN+ | L 31–49 | 19,068 |
| September 30 | 3:30 p.m. | Ball State | Waldo StadiumKalamazoo, MI | ESPN+ | W 42–24 | 21,880 |
| October 7 | 12:00 p.m. | at Mississippi State* | Davis Wade StadiumStarkville, MS | SECN | L 28–41 | 47,158 |
| October 14 | 3:30 p.m. | Miami (OH) | Waldo StadiumKalamazoo, MI | ESPN+ | L 21–34 | 20,039 |
| October 21 | 12:00 p.m. | at Ohio | Peden StadiumAthens, OH | CBSSN | L 17–20 | 16,048 |
| October 28 | 1:00 p.m. | at Eastern Michigan | Rynearson StadiumYpsilanti, MI (Michigan MAC Trophy) | ESPN+ | W 45–21 | 16,297 |
| November 7 | 7:00 p.m. | Central Michigan | Waldo StadiumKalamazoo, MI (Michigan MAC Trophy) | ESPNU | W 38–28 | 17,841 |
| November 14 | 7:00 p.m. | at Northern Illinois | Huskie StadiumDeKalb, IL | ESPNU | L 0–24 | 6,417 |
| November 21 | 7:00 p.m. | Bowling Green | Waldo StadiumKalamazoo, MI | ESPNU | L 10–34 | 8,901 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from AP Poll released prior to the gameAll times are in Eastern time |||||||

## Game summaries
### at Syracuse

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Broncos | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| Orange | 17 | 28 | 3 | 0 | 48 |
at JMA Wireless Dome • Syracuse, NY
* Date: Saturday, September 9, 2023
* Game time: 3:30 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: Indoor
* Game attendance: 32,637
* Referee: Jeremy Valentine
* TV: ACCNX
| Statistics | WMU | SYR |
| First downs | 15 | 26 |
| Total yards | 318 | 496 |
| Rush yards | 97 | 153 |
| Passing yards | 221 | 343 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 0 |
| Time of possession | 30:57 | 29:03 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Western Michigan | Passing | Jack Salopek | 15/22, 110 yards, INT |
| Western Michigan | Rushing | Jalen Buckley | 8 carries, 87 yards, TD |
| Western Michigan | Receiving | Kenneth Womack | 4 receptions, 67 yards |
| Syracuse | Passing | Garrett Shrader | 19/30, 286 yards, TD |
| Syracuse | Rushing | Juwaun Price | 16 carries, 68 yards |
| Syracuse | Receiving | Donovan Brown | 3 receptions, 89 yards, TD |

### at No. 25 Iowa

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Broncos | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| • No. 25 Hawkeyes | 0 | 14 | 17 | 10 | 41 |
| Statistics | WMU | IOWA |
| First downs | 8 | 19 |
| Total yards | 239 | 387 |
| Rushing yards | 117 | 254 |
| Passing yards | 122 | 133 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 2 |
| Time of possession | 26:07 | 33:53 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Western Michigan | Passing | Treyson Bourguet | 5/16, 124 yards, TD |
| Western Michigan | Rushing | Treyson Bourguet | 8 carries, 32 yards |
| Western Michigan | Receiving | Kenneth Womack | 2 receptions, 11 yards |
| Iowa | Passing | Cade McNamara | 9/19, 103 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT |
| Iowa | Rushing | Leshon Williams | 12 carries, 145 yards |
| Iowa | Receiving | Steven Stilianos | 2 receptions, 29 yards |

### Ball State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Ball State | 3 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 24 |
| Western Michigan | 7 | 21 | 7 | 7 | 42 |
at Waldo Stadium • Kalamazoo, MI
* Date: Saturday, September 30, 2023
* Game time: 3:30 p.m. EST
* Game weather: -
* Game attendance: 21,880
* TV: ESPN+
| Statistics | BALL | WMU |
| First downs | 19 | 26 |
| Total yards | 63–364 | 75–461 |
| Rushing yards | 26–48 | 36–133 |
| Passing yards | 316 | 328 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 26–37–0 | 24–39–0 |
| Time of possession | 29:37 | 30:23 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Ball State | Passing | Layne Hatcher | 26/37, 316 yards, 3 TD |
| Ball State | Rushing | Marquez Cooper | 15 carries, 82 yards |
| Ball State | Receiving | Qian Magwood | 9 receptions, 110 yards, TD |
| Western Michigan | Passing | Treyson Bourguet | 24/39, 328 yards, 3 TD |
| Western Michigan | Rushing | Zahir Abdus-Salaam | 8 carries, 53 yards, 2 TD |
| Western Michigan | Receiving | Anthony Sambucci | 5 receptions, 73 yards, 3 TD |

### at Mississippi State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Western Michigan | 0 | 7 | 14 | 7 | 28 |
| Mississippi State | 10 | 7 | 14 | 10 | 41 |
at Davis Wade Stadium • Starkville, MS
* Date: Saturday, October 7, 2023
* Game time: 11:00 a.m. CST
* Game weather: Sunny, 62 °F (17 °C)
* Game attendance: 47,158
* Referee: Scott Walker
* TV announcers (SECN/ESPN+): Lowell Galindo (play-by-play), Derek Mason (analyst), Taylor Davis (sideline)
| Statistics | WMU | MSST |
| First downs | 21 | 25 |
| Total yards | 77–413 | 65–440 |
| Rushing yards | 32–116 | 33–194 |
| Passing yards | 297 | 246 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 33–45–1 | 23–32–0 |
| Time of possession | 28:46 | 31:14 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Western Michigan | Passing | Hayden Wolff | 27/35, 262 yards, 3 TD, INT |
| Western Michigan | Rushing | Zahir Abdus-Salaam | 18 carries, 60 yards, TD |
| Western Michigan | Receiving | Kenneth Womack | 12 receptions, 113 yards |
| Mississippi State | Passing | Will Rogers | 16/22, 189 yards, 3 TD |
| Mississippi State | Rushing | Seth Davis | 10 carries, 65 yards, TD |
| Mississippi State | Receiving | Freddie Roberson | 5 receptions, 68 yards, TD |

### at Ohio

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Western Michigan | 0 | 0 | 10 | 7 | 17 |
| Ohio | 3 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 20 |
at Peden Stadium • Athens, OH
* Date: Saturday, October 21, 2023
* Game time: 12:00 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: sunny
* Game attendance: 16,048
* Referee: William Williams
* TV announcers (CBSSN): Jason Knapp, Russ Tucker
* Pregame line: Ohio -16.5; O/U 52.0 • Ohio notes, boxscore
| Statistics | Western Michigan | Ohio |
| First downs | 21 | 28 |
| Total yards | 369 | 460 |
| Rushes/yards | 22/79 | 39/185 |
| Passing yards | 290 | 275 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 30–42–1 | 24–39–0 |
| Time of possession | 24:25 | 35:35 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Western Michigan | Passing | Hayden Wolff | 30/42, 290 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT |
| Western Michigan | Rushing | CJ Hester | 5 rushes, 26 yards |
| Western Michigan | Receiving | Kenneth Womack | 14 receptions, 90 yards, 1 TD |
| Ohio | Passing | Kurtis Rourke | 24/39, 275 yards, 1 TD |
| Ohio | Rushing | Sieh Bangura | 15 rushes, 86 yards, 1 TD |
| Ohio | Receiving | Sam Wiglusz | 10 receptions, 155 yards, 1 TD |

### Bowling Green

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bowling Green | 10 | 21 | 3 | 0 | 34 |
| Western Michigan | 0 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 10 |
at Waldo Stadium • Kalamazoo, MI
* Date: Tuesday, November 21, 2023
* Game time: 7:00 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: Cloudy, 40 °F (4 °C) • Wind: NW 9 mph (14 km/h)
* Game attendance: 8,901
* Referee: Greg Sujack
* TV announcers (ESPNU): Connor Onion, Aaron Murray
| Statistics | Bowling Green | Western Michigan |
| First downs | 21 | 16 |
| Plays–yards | 360 | 258 |
| Rushes–yards | 28–132 | 41–135 |
| Passing yards | 228 | 123 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 19–28–1 | 17–27–2 |
| Time of possession | 29:09 | 30:51 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Bowling Green | Passing | Connor Bazelak | 18/26, 217 yards, 2 TDS |
| Bowling Green | Rushing | Ta'ron Keith | 13 carries, 66 yards, 1 TD |
| Bowling Green | Receiving | Harold Fannin Jr. | 8 receptions, 99 yards |
| Western Michigan | Passing | Hayden Wolff | 17/27, 123 yards, 2 INTS |
| Western Michigan | Rushing | Jalen Buckley | 18 carries, 85 yards, 1 TD |
| Western Michigan | Receiving | Kenneth Womack | 8 receptions, 44 yards |

## NFL Draft

The NFL draft was held at Campus Martius Park in Detroit, Michigan, on April 25–27, 2024. Additionally Keni'h Lovely signed with the Buffalo Bills as an undrafted free agent.
Broncos who were picked in the 2024 NFL Draft:
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | NFL Team |
| 2 | 56 | Marshawn Kneeland | DE | Dallas Cowboys |