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The Western Michigan Broncos have enjoyed the comforts of home their last two games, but now they must head out on the road. WMU and the Toledo Rockets will face off in a Mid-American battle at 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday at Glass Bowl. The Broncos will be strutting in after a win while Toledo will be stumbling in from a defeat.
Last week, WMU turned the game against the Kent State Golden Flashes into a track meet and took the gold after outgaining them 648 yards to 367. WMU put the hurt on Kent State with a sharp 64-31 victory. The game was all but wrapped up at the end of the third, by which point WMU had established a 50-23 advantage. Their QB Kaleb Eleby was on fire, passing for three TDs and 307 yards on 22 attempts in addition to rushing for one TD and 33 yards. Eleby had some trouble finding his footing against the Ball State Cardinals two weeks ago, so this was a step in the right direction.
Special teams collected 16 points for the Broncos. P Nick Mihalic delivered a perfect 3-for-3 game.
Meanwhile, the Rockets fought the good fight in their overtime matchup against the Central Michigan Chippewas last week but wound up with a less-than-desirable result, falling 26-23. Despite the loss, Toledo had strong showings from QB Dequan Finn, who accumulated 208 passing yards in addition to rushing for two TDs and 43 yards, and RB Bryant Koback, who picked up 87 yards on the ground on 15 carries.
This next contest is expected to be close, with WMU going off at just a 1.5-point favorite. Those playing the odds have seen things go back and forth with WMU, who are 3-2-1 against the spread.
The Broncos are now 5-2 while Toledo sits at 3-4. A pair of defensive stats to keep an eye on: WMU is 233rd worst in the nation in passing touchdowns allowed, with 15 on the season. Toledos have had an even harder time: they are stumbling into the contest with the 133rd most passing touchdowns allowed in the nation, having given up seven on the season. It's possible one of these Achilles' heels will wind up tripping the losing team up.
