The 2016 Western Michigan Broncos football team represented Western Michigan University (WMU) in the 2016 NCAA Division I FBS football season. They were led by fourth-year head coach P. J. Fleck and played their home games at Waldo Stadium as a member of the West Division of the Mid-American Conference (MAC). The Broncos completed their regular season undefeated and won the MAC West Division title. The Broncos finished conference play defeating the Ohio Bobcats 29–23 in the 2016 MAC Championship Game, winning the school's first MAC championship title since 1988. WMU received an invitation to the 2017 Cotton Bowl as the highest rated Group of Five team in the College Football Playoff (CFP). It was the first major-bowl appearance in school history (and second for a MAC team). The Broncos also won 10 games in a season for the first time in their 111-year football history. They lost to the No. 8 Wisconsin Badgers in the New Years Six bowl game, 24–16.
WMU received its first national top 25 ranking after they beat rival Central Michigan and was No. 25 in the Coaches Poll. Following its first win over Northern Illinois since 2008, the Broncos were ranked in the AP Top 25 for the first time in school history at No. 24 in week seven. The Broncos debuted in the CFP poll at No. 23. They finished the regular season ranked 18th in the Coaches Poll and 15th in the AP Poll.
Preseason MAC media poll The Mid-American Conference preseason poll was released on July 28, 2016. The Broncos were predicted to finish first in the West Division and win the MAC Championship Game. MAC West Division media poll 1 Western Michigan 144 (19) 2 Toledo 113 (2) 3 Northern Illinois 112 (3) 4 Central Michigan 98 (2) 5 Ball State 44 6 Eastern Michigan 35
Schedule The following table lists WMU schedule.
Coaching staff The following table lists the team's coaching staff.
Name Position Year at WMU Alma mater P. J. Fleck Head coach 4th Northern Illinois (2004) Kirk Ciarrocca Offensive coordinator 4th Temple (1990) Ed Pinkham Defensive coordinator, defensive backs 4th Allegheny (1975) Kenni Burns Running backs 1st Indiana (2006) Brian Callahan Offensive line 4th Eastern Illinois (1992) David Duggan Linebackers 1st New Hampshire (1986) Bill Kenney Tight ends, offensive tackles 4th Norwich (1982) Matt Simon Wide receivers 3rd Northern Illinois (2004) Rob Wenger Special teams, defensive ends 4th Colgate (2008) Jimmy Williams Defensive line 1st Nebraska (1982)
Roster 2016 Western Michigan Broncos footballQuarterback 1 Alex Mussat – Freshman, , 9 Brendan Tabone – Freshman, , 11 Zach Terrell – Senior, , 13 Tom Flacco – Sophomore, , 16 Jon Wassink – Freshman, ,
Tailback 3 Fabian Johnson – Senior, , 5 LeVante Bellamy – Sophomore, , 22 Davon Tucker – Freshman, , 28 Matt Falcon – Freshman, , 31 Jarvion Franklin – Junior, , 32 Jamauri Bogan – Sophomore, , 33 Leo Ekwoge – Sophomore, ,
Wide receiver 2 Anton Curtis – Freshman, , 7 D'Wayne Eskridge – Freshman, , 10 Hunter Broersma – Freshman, , 15 Carrington Thompson – Senior, , 19 Jason Russell – Freshman, , 25 Trevor Sweeney – Senior, , 29 Rodney Graves – Freshman, , 35 Brandon Hinds – Freshman, , 45 Jaret Curtis – Freshman, , 80 Jake Spinek – Senior, , 83 Michael Henry – Senior, , 84 Corey Davis – Senior, , 86 Keishawn Watson – Freshman, , 87 Giovanni Ricci – Freshman, ,
Tight end 12 Mitch Heimbuch – Freshman, , 38 Odell Miller – Sophomore, , 85 Donnie Ernsberger – Junior, , 88 Lucas Bezerra – Junior, , 89 Brett Borske – Freshman, , Offensive lineman 51 Jordan Asbury – Freshman, , 52 John Keenoy – Sophomore, , 59 Luke Juriga – Sophomore, , 60 Mark Brooks – Freshman, , 61 Mike Caliendo – Freshman, , 62 Alex Keys – Freshman, , 63 Kristof Ifkovits – Junior, , 65 Jackson Day – Senior, , 67 Curtis Doyle – Sophomore, , 70 Spencer Kanz – Freshman, , 71 Jonathan Todd – Freshman, , 72 Taylor Moton – Senior, , 75 Zach Novoselsky – Sophomore, , 77 Chukwuma Okorafor – Junior, , 78 Elliot Jordan – Sophomore, ,
Defensive lineman 1 Keion Adams – DE – Senior, , 5 Andre Turner – DE – Junior, , 33 Eric Assoua – Sophomore, , 50 Daniel Jackson – Sophomore, , 53 Nathan Braster – Junior, , 55 Nick Matich – Junior, , 58 Antonio Balabani – Freshman, , 66 Wesley French – Freshman, , 68 David Curle – Senior, , 90 Ken Aguirre – Freshman, , 91 Ken Finley – Sophomore, , 92 Zack Taylor – Freshman, , 95 Jaylon Moore – Freshman, , 98 Kailen Guillory – Freshman, ,
Kicker 37 Butch Hampton – Freshman, , 47 Keenan Erb – Sophomore, , 93 Austin Regan – Sophomore, , 96 Jason Evans – Sophomore, , Linebacker 6 Asantay Brown – Junior, , 8 Caleb Bailey – Junior, , 10 Robert Spillane – Junior, , 13 Jakevin Jackson – Senior, , 20 Drake Spears – Freshman, , 27 Paul Engram – Freshman, , 34 Alex Grace – Sophomore, , 42 Jared Culp – Freshman, , 46 Lucas Cherocci – Senior, , 48 Joseph Miller – Freshman, , 56 Kasey Carson – Senior, ,
Defensive back 2 Justin Tranquill – Freshman, , 4 Darius Phillips – CB – Junior, , 11 Stefan Claiborne – Freshman, , 12 Emmanuel Jackson – Freshman, , 17 Justin Ferguson – S – Senior, , 18 Sam Beal – Sophomore, , 21 Jeffery Johnson – S – Senior, , 22 Dontre Boyd – CB – Freshman, , 23 Austin Guido – Senior, , 24 Obbie Jackson – Freshman, , 26 Davontae Ginwright – Freshman, , 30 Malik Rucker – Junior, , 31 Brad Tanner – Freshman, , 36 Deshawn Foster – Sophomore, , 41 Latrell Levanduski – Junior, , 45 Bill Bonnano – Junior, ,
Punter 39 Derrick Mitchell – Sophomore, , 57 James Coleman – Senior, ,
Long snappers 43 Wyatt Pfeifer – Junior, , 99 Martin Diaz – Sophomore, ,
Season
Home invasion arrests During the week leading up to the opening game, two freshmen, Ron George and Bryson White, were arraigned on charges of "armed robbery, first-degree home invasion and larceny from a building". The police allege that they used a gun and a knife to rob a woman.
White was already facing criminal charges in Ohio related to driving under the influence of marijuana and driving on a suspended license. A passenger in his car was charged with carrying a gun and White refused to cooperate when asked about it.
The players were dismissed from the team.
All-Americans Taylor Moton was named to the Football Writers' Association of America All-American second team.
Corey Davis was named as a first team All-American by the Associated Press, the FWAA, and the American Football Coaches Association, earning him honors as the school's first "consensus" All-American. He earned second team honors from The Sporting News and the Walter Camp Football Foundation.
Campbell Trophy For his classroom exploits that include a 4.0 GPA in his Masters' program, quarterback Zach Terrell won the prestigious Campbell Trophy, known as the "academic Heisman."
National Football Foundation Zach Terrell was chosen as a scholar athlete by the National Football Foundation as one of 12 athletes across all four (FBS, FCS, II, III) divisions of college football to receive an $18,000 post-graduate scholarship.
Conference Players of the Week
Robert Spillane was named MAC West Defensive Player of the Week for his week one performance in the team's 22–21 win at Northwestern in which he collected seven tackles and forced a fumble. Spillane later earned Co-Defensive Player of the Week honors in the Broncos' week three win at Illinois in which he made 11 tackles and snagged his first career interception. Spillane later earned DPOW honors with 14 tackles in the Broncos' 45–31 win over Eastern Michigan in week eight. In the Broncos' 37–21 win over Kent State, Spillane recorded a crucial safety that resulted in week ten honors.
Darius Phillips was named MAC West Special Teams Player of the Week for his week two performance against North Carolina Central that included a 66-yard punt return touchdown. Phillips' standout performance that included a 100-yard kick return touchdown in week four against Georgia Southern earned him STPOW honors in week five.
Jamauri Bogan earned honors as MAC West Co-Offensive Player of the Week for his 189 rushing yards and two touchdowns at Illinois in week three.
Zach Terrell became the week four MAC West Offensive Player of the Week for his 270 yards passing and four touchdowns in the Broncos' 49–31 win over Georgia Southern. Terrell would garner honors again for his 445-yard passing performance in the Broncos' 38–0 rout of Buffalo.
Wide receiver Corey Davis had six receptions for 72 yards and two touchdowns against rival Central Michigan earned him week five MAC West Offensive Player of the Week honors as he passed former Bronco Jordan White for the conference record for career receiving yards. Davis would snag honors again with a 12-reception, 272-yard receiving effort that included three touchdowns against Ball State.
Jarvion Franklin, the 2014 MAC Offensive Player of the Year and MAC Freshman of the Year received honors as MAC West Offensive Player of the Week after the Broncos' 45–30 win over Northern Illinois in week six during which he tallied 249 all-purpose yards (169 rushing and 80 receiving) with a receiving touchdown and a rushing touchdown (both on fourth down plays) to help buoy WMU's offensive efforts. Later, in week seven at Akron, Franklin again earned MAC West honors as he set the school record for single game rushing with 281 yards on 33 attempts in the Broncos' 41–0 win over the Zips.
Caleb Bailey collected seven tackles (including 2.5 tackles for loss) and an interception in the Broncos' 41–0 victory at Akron to earn week seven honors as MAC West Defensive Player of the Week.
Asantay Brown tallied six tackles, including one for loss, and an interception return for a touchdown in the Broncos' 55–35 rout of Toledo in week 13, earning him honors as MAC West Defensive Player of the Week.
Scholar Athletes of the Week
Zach Terrell earned honors as Scholar Athlete of the Week for the week of Oct. 3–10 for his performance in the Broncos' 45–30 win over Northern Illinois on Oct. 8. He completed 18 of 24 passes for 327 yards and accounted for four touchdowns total (three passing, one rushing) in the first Western Michigan victory over the Huskies since 2008. Terrell boasted a 4.0 GPA in his Master's of Business Administration program and completed his undergraduate degree in finance earlier in 2016 with a GPA of 3.66.
Taylor Moton earned honors as Scholar Athlete of the Week for the week of Nov. 14–21 for his performance in the Broncos' 37–21 win over Kent State as he helped buoy an effort of 329 rushing yards against the Golden Flashes on national television. Moton spent most of the year rated at No. 1 on the Schneider Scale, which is used to determine the Outland Trophy winner (best offensive lineman not playing center).
Distinguished Scholar Athletes
On December 27, 2016, the Mid-American Conference named seven Broncos as Distinguished Scholar Athletes: Lucas Bezerra (TE) 3.71 GPA Kasey Carson (LB) 3.58 GPA John Keenoy (OL) 3.7 GPA Taylor Moton (OL) 3.28 GPA Trevor Sweeney (WR) 3.77 GPA Zach Terrell (QB) 4.0 GPA Justin Tranquill (DB) 3.85 GPA
Academic All-Conference
Sixteen players from the team were named to the Academic All-Conference team: Lucas Bezzera, Kasey Carson, Lucas Cherocci, David Curle, Alex Grace, Austin Guido, Luke Juriga, John Keenoy, Odell Miller, Derek Mitchell, Taylor Moton, Zach Novoselsky, Giovanni Ricci, Trevor Sweeney, Zach Terrell and Justin Tranquill.
Rankings
After winning their first two games against Northwestern and North Carolina Central, WMU received 1 vote in the Coaches Poll. Their road win against Illinois moved the Broncos to 3–0 where they received 6 votes in the AP Poll and 16 votes in the Coaches Poll. WMU received their first Top 25 ranking in program history after they defeated rival Central Michigan and moved to 5–0.