Instant reaction: Western Michigan comes back, beats CMU to retake Victory Cannon

Kalamazoo — Western Michigan hung around and eventually pulled ahead of Central Michigan with a late fourth quarter touchdown pass from Broc Lowry to Tailique Williams to beat a bitter rival and take back the Victory Cannon Trophy, 24-21.

The win keeps the Broncos in second place in the MAC, with just one loss, and control of their destiny to make it to Ford Field for the MAC title game. The Broncos are now a win away from bowl eligibility, too.

For the Chippewas, the loss is a bitter pill on a day they played well and could've won, leading until there were 2:08 left on the clock and getting strong play from quarterbacks Joe Labas and Marcus Beamon, who made his FBS debut.

Lowry starts, finishes fast

The one-year turnaround for the Central Michigan defense has been remarkable and Saturday night marked another strong showing for the Sean Cronin-coached group. 

Along with seven points allowed in the first half as part of 24 total, the CMU defense hemmed in the dual-threat ability of quarterback Broc Lowry as long as it could. But Lowry wasn't going to be denied.

Lowry, a player who CMU head coach Matt Drinkall compared to dual-threat Army star quarterback Bryson Daly, evidently ended up at the center of the Chippewas defensive game plan. 

Despite that, Lowry still made the Broncos offense go, especially in the second half, with his timely, rugged running and increasingly deft passing.

Lowry finished 17-for-24 for 150 yards and a touchdown through the air and added 70 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries as a runner.

And when it came down to it, Lowry made the plays that mattered for the Broncos, converting fourth downs with his legs and, eventually, making the play of the game, rolling to his right and eventually connecting with Tailique Williams in the back of the end zone for a go-ahead touchdown with 2:08 left in regulation.

CMU’s defense forced a pair of fumbles by Lowry, one of which the Chippewas managed to recover. That turnover came inside the CMU 10 right before halftime, keeping Central Michigan ahead, 14-7, at the time. 

But when it mattered most for the Broncos, Lowry came through, as he has so often this season.

Labas lights it up

Central Michigan head coach Matt Drinkall said all along that one advantage of the multi-quarterback system the Chippewas deployed this season is keeping starter Joe Labas healthier and in action for as long as possible. 

Labas had missed much of the prior season with an injury and been frequently banged up in his college career. As the best operator of the offense and the most effective passer for Central Michigan, losing Labas would be a notable hit. 

And while the Chippewas coaching staff probably didn’t expect the somewhat ironic twist of their other two quarterbacks, Jadyn Glasser and Angel Flores, getting hurt, thus thrusting Labas into the spotlight in the biggest game of the season. 

Labas responded by shredding the Broncos. 

He did get sacked and fumbled in the first half, setting up Western Michigan’s lone first half scoring drive, but on five other dropbacks Labas went 5-for-5 for 125 yards and connected with Langston Lewis for a 73-yard touchdown on the first play from scrimmage after the Broncos touchdown, putting CMU up 14-7. 

Things quieted down in the second half for Labas, but he still finished 8-for-11 for 152 yards, a tipped interception and the long touchdown.

And as if to show confidence in Labas early, the Chippewas opened the game with a pair of passes, the first being a field-side pump fake that Labas layered in to Lewis for a completion, followed by another completion with a defender in his face. 

Labas also had a pass dropped in the first half, but the play didn’t count as he got roughed on the play and the Chippewas got a free set of downs. Labas had another incompletion on an earlier pass, but his receiver had been interfered with, converting a 4th and 3 for the CMU offense. 

And Central Michigan didn’t just leave Labas in the whole game, supplementing him with some snaps for Marcus Beamon, a JUCO transfer who is redshirting this season. 

Players can compete in up to four football games (plus a bowl) and still redshirt a season to preserve the year of eligibility. And since Saturday marked Central Michigan’s ninth game, Beamon can play throughout the month of November without burning up a redshirt. 

And in his limited snaps in his FBS debut, Beamon made a sure impact, as his first FBS pass attempt came on the first play of the fourth quarter, as he laid up a spot-perfect pass down the field to Tyson Davis for a 33-yard, go-ahead touchdown for the Chippewas. 

And that 33-yard rainbow through the Kalamazoo air is now the enduring memory of Beamon’s FBS debut.

But for all the good the duo did on Saturday night, it wasn't enough. And with a tipped intercepted pass off of Labas' hand inside the final two minutes, the CMU quarterbacks couldn't get their squad over the hump.

Fumbles flavor first half

Central Michigan led 7-0 and started to churn out what looked like another scoring drive, trying to take a two-score lead over the Broncos early on. 

Then WMU edge rusher Nadame Tucker beat CMU right tackle Martin Koivisto with a clean inside move and bore down on Chippewas quarterback Joe Labas, who had no chance. Tucker delivered a punishing hit, which dislodged the ball for his teammates to recover.

The Broncos took over just into Chippewas territory and drove down into the red zone, eventually facing 4th and 3. A pass attempt from Broc Lowry fell incomplete, but illegal hands to the face on the Chippewas gave the Broncos a fresh set of downs. Lowry scored on a keeper a couple players later, knotting the game at 7-7. 

But the fumble luck would flip Central Michigan’s way before the half ended. 

Inside the final two minutes of the first half, the Broncos had a goal-to-go series and got inside the CMU five. It looked like Lowry or a tailback would get the chance to punch it in. 

And Lowry got his shot, trying to submarine in through traffic and getting the ball ripped out, as Central Michigan recovered it on the five yard line with less than a minute until halftime. 

The Chippewas held on to a 14-7 lead, and kneeled out of the half. 

Central Michigan had nearly gotten a fumble earlier, as Jaion Jackson came off the left edge on a corner blitz and plastered Lowry, but the Broncos fell on that loose ball.