Tech can't contain WMU offense, falls 41-7 to Broncos

KALAMAZOO, Mich. -- Tennessee Tech's hoped-for upset of an FBS foe will have to wait another year. The Golden Eagles had a strong start Saturday night at Western Michigan, but the host Broncos were just too good on offense and the Mid-America Conference team claimed a 41-7 non-conference victory in front of nearly 20,000 fans in Waldo Stadium.

Tech drove deep into Bronco territory on the game's opening possession, but missed a field goal and a chance to grab an early lead. The Golden Eagles did march 78 yards for a touchdown later in the opening period to make it a 13-7 contest after the first quarter, but that's when reality struck.

Western Michigan answered with 14 points in the second quarter to take a 27-7 halftime lead, and built it to 41-7 after three quarters before both teams battled through a scoreless fourth quarter.

"Any time you come and do this (face a bigger, stronger Football Bowl Subdivision opponent), it's apples and oranges," said Golden Eagle second-year coach Watson Brown. "But, I think we got a lot out of it. I think we get battle-tested and we get toughness that helps us prepare for conference play.

"We're so, so young, but I think it's good for our kids to do this kind of thing," he said. "We've played two of these (FBS foes) in three weeks, with a conference game in between on the road. If we get out of here healthy, it helps us, even though it hasn't helped our record."

Tech is now 2-2 overall, and will host Central Methodist Thursday night in Tucker Stadium. WMU improved to 3-1 overall.

The Tech defense simply couldn't stop the Western Michigan offense and quarterback Tim Hiller, who completed 27 of 31 pass attempts for 333 yards and five touchdowns.

"Offensively, that's about as in sync as we've had it," said WMU coach Bill Cubit. "I thought we played fast and there were a lot of good plays. We got the ball to play makers. Tim Hiller is the catalyst for this whole thing right now, the way he's running the offense. The offense is pretty good right now; we got the game breakers out there."

Tech's scoring drive came late in the first quarter, after WMU had built a 13-0 lead on a pair of Hiller TD tosses. Golden Eagle junior quarterback Josh Lowery, starting in place of injured Lee Sweeney, directed Tech on an eight-play, 78-yard drive that was capped off with a 24-yard scoring pass to freshman Tim Benford.

Brandon West, who rushed 14 times for 135 yards, scored on a 6-yard run six minutes later to make it 20-7, and Hiller found Kirk Elsworth on a 3-yard TD pass just 1:36 before halftime.

"I though the offense moved the ball well in the first half," Brown said. "In the second half we got backed up. I thought in the heat of the battle our offense performed pretty well. We didn't have a turnover, and me made a couple plays."

Tech had 251 yards of total offense, with 100 on the ground and 151 through the air. Lowery was 19-for-33 and didn't get sacked.

"I thought Josh played really well. He threw to the right guys, and he got rid of it on time," Brown said. "He didn't have a turnover, and he handled the running game well. I don't remember a play where I thought he performed poorly. I thought he played admirably."
Lowery, making only the third start of his TTU career, saw several bright spots in the offensive efforts against the Broncos.

"I thought we moved the ball pretty well all night," Lowery said. "We ended up hurting ourselves a lot of times (with penalties). On the scoring drive, we moved the ball like I thought we could. We never stopped ourselves and found a way to finish the drive."

He gave much credit to the WMU defense.

"Their defense played big, so you've got to give them a lot of credit. We just need to get better at finishing and eliminate penalties, and we'll be okay."

Sophomore Henry Sailes topped Tech's running game with 45 yards on 12 carries, while freshman Tremaine Hudson rushed four times for 38 yards. Benford finished with seven catches for 70 yards, while Hudson grabbed three passes for 35 yards.

Defensively, freshman Richmond Tooley topped Tech with a career-high 10 tackles, including one tackle-for-loss. Taron Ryce had eight stops and freshman Alden Olverson made seven tackles, also a career-high.

Another freshman, Jamere Hogue, came up with his first career interception, Tech's first pick of the season.

Brown can see his team taking steps forward each week.

"We're not over the hump, but we're better," Brown said. "We're a better team than we were four weeks go, but now the heat starts. We've got one more home game before we head into conference play. I'm anxious to see how we got out of here, as far as injuries.

"I know we're a better football team than we were when we opened the season against Gardner-Webb four seeks ago. We've got to get some kids back. Xavier Purdy has a chance to get back in another week from his broken leg, and that will help us a lot."

Pre-Game Notes

The Golden Eagles are taking on their second FBS (I-A) opponent of 2008, after traveling to Louisville on Sept. 6 (L, 51-10).

The Golden Eagles will take the field wearing white helmets, jerseys and pants, while the Western Michigan Broncos will be in gold helmets, black jerseys, and gold pants.

Western Michigan's Waldo Stadium holds 30,200 fans. A crowd of 19,768 came out for the game.

Taron Ryce will be making his second career start at the safety position, after converting from cornerback because of injury. In his first start, on Sept. 11 against SEMO, Ryce tied the TTU record with four pass-breakups.

Gametime temperature in Kalamazoo, Mich is 77 degrees.

Tech's six active seniors represented the Golden Eagles for the opening coin toss. WMU won the toss and deferred.

QB Josh Lowery is making his first start of 2008, with Lee Sweeney nursing an abdominal injury. This will be Lowery's third career start, going 1-1 as the starter in 2007. Lowery stepped in and led the Golden Eagles on the game-winning drive last week at Southeast Missouri, completing 4-of-5 passes for 30 yards. He is 10-for13 on the season for 80 yards and one touchdown.

First Quarter Notes

Tech drove down the field on its first drive, and attempted a 45-yard field goal, which missed wide left.

Western Michigan scored its second touchdown on a trick play. The Broncos lined up with quarterback Tim Hiller behind a WR, who snapped the ball, for Hiller to pick apart a confused defense on a 19-yard TD pass.

TTU capped an 8 play 78-yard drive with a 24-yard touchdown pass from Lowery to a wide open freshman Tim Benford in the endzone, put pull the Golden Eagles within 13-7 with under a minute to play in the first half.

WMU QB Tim Hiller finished the first quarter going 11-for-11 for 160 yards and two touchdowns. Hiller is the reigning MAC offensive player of the week.

Second Quarter Notes

Hiller completed his first 13 passes, before an incompletion on a pass that was caught out of bounds.

Jamere Hogue intercepted a Hiller pass early in the quarter, giving Tech the ball on their own 37-yard line. The INT was Tech's first of the season.

On 3rd and 15 from their own 12-yard line, WMU's Brandon West carried the ball 51 yards to the TTU 37. A Bronco penalty took the ball back to the TTU 47. WMU would later score on the drive, giving the Broncos a 27-7 lead.

WMU ran a hook-and-ladder on the last play of the second half, with two completed laterals, before being tackled at the TTU 26 yard line.

Halftime Notes

Tech finished the first half with nine first downs, and 174 yard of total offense in the first half. Western Michigan put up an astonishing 395 first half yards.

Henry Sailes led the Golden Eagles in rushing in the first half, with 31 yards. Tremain Hudson, Cedric Wilkerson and Derrian Waters also had carries.

Josh Lowery completed 13-of-22 passes for 110 yards and one touchdown.

Western Michigan did not punt in the first half, and was 4-for-4 in the red zone, with four touchdowns.

Third Quarter Notes

ILB Jake Kiser went down early in the third quarter with what looked like an injury to his right foot.

On the first drive of the second half, Western Michigan drove 67 yards on 7 plays for a touchdown in 3 minutes 39 seconds caped on a 23-yard TD pass. WMU leads 34-7.

Tim Hiller threw his fifth TD pass of the game to cap a late third quarter drive that lasted nearly five minutes.

Fourth Quarter Notes

WMU punted for the first time in the game with 13:19 remaining in the fourth quarter.

FINAL Notes

Tech has only five days to recover before returning to action next Thursday night (Sept. 25). The Golden Eagles host Central Methodist at 7 p.m. in Tucker Stadium, with Regions Bank Tailgate Park opening at 4 p.m.

Individual game tickets, as well as season tickets for the five remaining home contests, are on sale at the Athletics Ticket Office in Eblen Center or by calling (931) 372-3940.