Broc Lowry, WMU aim to expand passing offense in 2026
The Broncos finished among the worst passing offenses in 2025, and still won 10 games and a MAC title.
Kalamazoo — The MAC offensive player of the year in 2025 had a pretty glaring shortcoming to his game: Throwing the football.
Broc Lowry, who won the award leading Western Michigan to 10 wins, a MAC title and a bowl win, finished in the bottom half of the league in terms of passing production. The Western Michigan offense, which finished No. 86 nationally in scoring, finished 129th — fifth from last place — in passing offense among FBS schools, ahead of only Wisconsin, NIU, Navy, Rice and Army.
“The guys we got on the O line, you know, we're gonna be able to run the ball,” Lowry said. “Jalen Buckley, we're gonna be able to run the ball. We know we can do that. And the problem we've had is throwing the ball a little bit. That's on me. That's on the receivers, too. Just gelling, pass protection.”
With Lowry returning for a full season as the starter, having stepped into the job beginning in Week 4 of the 2025 season, the Broncos are pushing for an improved and more expansive passing attack than it had last season. The Broncos got by without much by way of an air barrage in 2025, by virtue of Lowry’s running ability, a stable of strong backs, a stalwart offensive line and one of the best defenses in the country. Western Michigan isn’t betting on the same formula carrying the day in 2026.
