Connecticut vs Western Michigan Football Recap

For some unknown reason unfathomable to reasonable human minds, the Connecticut Huskies opened up as an eight-and-a-half-point favorite against the Western Michigan Broncos. Western Michigan had just played unbeaten Illinois to a near-stalemate on the road and had shown that it could compete with a decent team from an FBS power conference. Why Western Michigan was given such a lack of respect in Las Vegas was a mystery that left many college football pundits scratching their heads.

Now, perhaps the boys from the Mid-American Conference will be seen in a different light. If you wanted WMU and the points against the defending Big East Conference champions this past weekend, you didn’t need them. The Broncos won outright in New England to make a very strong statement as they head into MAC competition over the next two months. As a result, the team that made the Fiesta Bowl last season is the one left trying to piece together a season that doesn’t feel very stable at the moment.

After carrying the Huskies through the first four games, the Connecticut defense was the culprit against Western Michigan. The Huskies couldn’t stop Alex Carder and the Broncos’ offense as he rolled up a career high 479 yards through the air en route to a thrilling 38-31 win over Connecticut. Prior to Saturday’s game, the Huskies defense had stifled opponents and it was the offense’s inability to move the ball that cost them games. With cornerback Blidi Wreh-Wilson out of the game, the Huskies’ secondary was no match for a complex, pass happy Western Michigan offense. The Broncos were never able to establish an effective ground game and after being held to just 11 yards on the ground, simply gave up running the ball. Instead, the Broncos passed almost exclusively in the fourth quarter and Carder threw three fourth quarter touchdown passes to erase a seven point fourth quarter deficit.

If there is a silver lining in the defeat for Connecticut, it has to be the play of junior quarterback Johnny McEntee. The generally erratic McEntee has shared the job with freshman Michael Nebrich and dual threat weapon Scotty McCummings. None of the three had truly distinguished himself but on Saturday, McEntee might have taken control of the job with his performance. McEntee completed 22 of 39 passes for 300 yard and four touchdowns including a 26 yarder to Nick Williams that tied the game late in the fourth quarter on fourth down. As the Huskies’ defense battles injuries, McEntee’s emergence might help the offense carry some of the load until the team is healthy once again.

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By: Matt Zemek
DFN Sports Senior Staff Writer