# 2019 Western Michigan Broncos football team

The 2019 Western Michigan Broncos football team represented Western Michigan University in the 2019 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. The team was led by third-year head coach Tim Lester.

## Preseason
### Recruiting

College recruiting information (2019) :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Demari Roberson WR | Muskegon, Michigan | Mona Shores High School | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Ali'Vonta Wallace LB | Muskegon, Michigan | Muskegon High School | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 210 lb (95 kg) | |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Stuart Kettler OT | East Grand Rapids, Michigan | East Grand Rapids High School | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 280 lb (130 kg) | |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Addison West OG | Cary, Illinois | Cary-Grove High School | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 280 lb (130 kg) | Jun 9, 2018 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: |||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: |||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: |||||||

### MAC media poll

The MAC released their preseason media poll on July 23, 2019, with the Broncos predicted to finish in second place in the West Division.
West Division :
| Predicted finish | Team | Votes (1st place) |
| 1 | Toledo | 127 (15) |
| 2 | Western Michigan | 112 (5) |
| 3 | Northern Illinois | 103 (3) |
| 4 | Eastern Michigan | 83 |
| 5 | Ball State | 43 |
| 6 | Central Michigan | 36 (1) |
MAC Championship Game :
| Rank | Team | Votes |
| 1 | Ohio | 13 |
| 2 | Toledo | 7 |
| 3 | Western Michigan | 2 |
| 4 | Northern Illinois | 1 |
| 4 | Central Michigan | 1 |

## Schedule

The following table lists WMU's schedule.
| Date | Time | Opponent | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| August 31 | 7:00 p.m. | Monmouth* | Waldo StadiumKalamazoo, MI | ESPN3 | W 48–13 | 15,021 |
| September 7 | 7:30 p.m. | at No. 19 Michigan State* | Spartan StadiumEast Lansing, MI | BTN | L 17–51 | 73,113 |
| September 14 | 7:00 p.m. | Georgia State* | Waldo StadiumKalamazoo, MI | ESPN+ | W 57–10 | 22,328 |
| September 21 | 12:00 p.m. | at Syracuse* | Carrier DomeSyracuse, NY | ACCN | L 33–52 | 40,700 |
| September 28 | 12:00 p.m. | Central Michigan | Waldo StadiumKalamazoo, MI (Victory Cannon / Michigan MAC Trophy) | CBSSN | W 31–15 | 20,476 |
| October 5 | 3:30 p.m. | at Toledo | Glass BowlToledo, OH | ESPN+ | L 24–31 | 22,141 |
| October 12 | 12:00 p.m. | Miami (OH) | Waldo StadiumKalamazoo, MI | ESPNU | W 38–16 | 21,702 |
| October 19 | 7:00 p.m. | at Eastern Michigan | Rynearson StadiumYpsilanti, MI (Michigan MAC Trophy) | ESPN+ | L 27–34 | 20,528 |
| October 26 | 12:00 p.m. | Bowling Green | Waldo StadiumKalamazoo, MI | ESPN3 | W 49–10 | 16,778 |
| November 5 | 8:00 p.m. | Ball State | Waldo StadiumKalamazoo, MI | ESPN2 | W 35–31 | 11,314 |
| November 12 | 6:30 p.m. | at Ohio | Peden StadiumAthens, OH | ESPN2 | W 37–34 $^{OT}$ | 11,700 |
| November 26 | 7:00 p.m. | at Northern Illinois | Huskie StadiumDeKalb, IL | ESPNU | L 14–17 | 3,568 |
| December 30 | 12:30 p.m. | vs. Western Kentucky | Gerald J. Ford StadiumDallas, TX (First Responder Bowl) | ESPN | L 20–23 | 13,164 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from AP Poll and CFP Rankings after November 5 released prior to gameAll times are in Eastern time |||||||

## Game summaries
### Monmouth

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Hawks | 0 | 7 | 6 | 0 | 13 |
| Broncos | 21 | 10 | 14 | 3 | 48 |

### At Michigan State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Broncos | 0 | 7 | 0 | 10 | 17 |
| No. 19 Spartans | 21 | 10 | 6 | 14 | 51 |

### Georgia State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Panthers | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| Broncos | 24 | 19 | 14 | 0 | 57 |

### At Syracuse

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Broncos | 0 | 13 | 20 | 0 | 33 |
| Orange | 14 | 10 | 14 | 14 | 52 |

### Central Michigan

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Chippewas | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 15 |
| Broncos | 10 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 31 |

### At Toledo

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Broncos | 7 | 0 | 10 | 7 | 24 |
| Rockets | 14 | 10 | 0 | 7 | 31 |

### Miami (OH)

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| RedHawks | 6 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 16 |
| Broncos | 0 | 21 | 0 | 17 | 38 |

### At Eastern Michigan

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Broncos | 7 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 27 |
| Eagles | 3 | 7 | 10 | 14 | 34 |

### Bowling Green

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Falcons | 3 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 10 |
| Broncos | 0 | 21 | 28 | 0 | 49 |

### Ball State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cardinals | 7 | 3 | 7 | 14 | 31 |
| Broncos | 7 | 14 | 0 | 14 | 35 |

### At Ohio

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total |
| Broncos | 3 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 6 | 37 |
| Bobcats | 0 | 0 | 14 | 17 | 3 | 34 |

### At Northern Illinois

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Broncos | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 14 |
| Huskies | 3 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 17 |

### Vs. Western Kentucky (First Responder Bowl)

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Broncos | 3 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 20 |
| Hilltoppers | 0 | 10 | 0 | 13 | 23 |