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Michigan Football: Scouting Week 1 opponent Western Michigan

By Alex Hinton

SYRACUSE, NY - SEPTEMBER 21: Head coach Tim Lester of the Western Michigan Broncos speaks with a referee during the second half against the Syracuse Orange at the Carrier Dome on September 21, 2019 in Syracuse, New York. Syracuse defeats Western Michigan 52-33. (Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images)
SYRACUSE, NY - SEPTEMBER 21: Head coach Tim Lester of the Western Michigan Broncos speaks with a referee during the second half against the Syracuse Orange at the Carrier Dome on September 21, 2019 in Syracuse, New York. Syracuse defeats Western Michigan 52-33. (Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
(Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /

Defense/Special Teams

As good as Western Michigan was on offense, its defense did not hold up on that side of the ball. It ranked 57th in total defense (399.7 yards per game), 64th in yards allowed per play (5.6), and 94th in scoring defense (34.17 points allowed per game). With 10 starters back, the Broncos will look to improve on defense in 2021.

One bright spot for the Broncos defense is how disruptive it was getting into the opponent’s backfield. The Broncos led the MAC and ranked 5th in the nation in tackles per loss per game (8.5) and also tied for 13th in sacks per game (3.17).

For the Broncos, it starts up front with the defensive line duo of defensive end Ali Fayad and nose tackle Ralph Holley. Fayad has led Western Michigan in sacks in each of the last three seasons. He had 4 last season to give him 16.5 sacks for his career to go along with 32.5 tackles for loss.

Holley led the team with nine tackles for loss last season. Beyond them, defensive end Marshawn Kneeland and defensive tackle Braden Fiske have experience.

The Broncos also added a transfer in defensive tackle Hozey Haji-Badri. In nine games with East Carolina last season, he had 15 tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss.

Linebacker will be a major area of concern for them this season. Western Michigan suffered a massive loss when linebacker Treshaun Hayward, a former Michigan transfer target, transferred to Arizona. In 2019, Hayward was an All-American and the MAC Defensive Player of the Year.

Last season, he led the team in tackles once again with 58. The second-leading tackler was hybrid safety/linebacker AJ Thomas. He had a productive season with 46 tackles, two sacks, and onw interception. Corvin Moment is a big hitter in the middle and he will be asked to step into a bigger role this season without Hayward.

The secondary returns a lot of experience, although it struggled a bit last season. Patrick Lupro is the top returning corner and he will have Keith Jones on the other side of him. Thomas will factor in at safety as well and he is joined back by Bricen Garner and Harrison Taylor. Last season, they had 115 tackles as a trio.

The Broncos struggled in the kicking game. Last season, their two placekickers Thiago Kapps and Gavin Peddle combined to go 5 for 9 on their field goal attempts.  Peddle went 8 for 8 on his extra points while Kapps missed three of his tries.

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