Western Michigan rallies past Central Michigan, 24-21, wins Victory Cannon Trophy back

Kalamazoo — Marcel Tyler spoke softly in his postgame interview. Most of what needed to be said had been spoken for, anyways.

The 6-foot-4, 270-pound Western Michigan defensive tackle stood mere feet from the empty trophy case for the Victory Cannon, which would soon be back there, after the Broncos beat bitter rival Central Michigan, 24-21, on Saturday at Waldo Stadium. 

And Tyler, who came up with the game-sealing interception on a self-tipped pass with fewer than two minutes to play, even had one more, unspoken message for the in-state rivals scrawled across the hem of his undershirt: FTC, or "F*ck the Chips." 

“Our group of guys, we already get motivated off like, the game itself,” Tyler said, looking at the trophy case. “Obviously it's empty, but we just went and got it back. But we've got our own motivation besides that, between the guys, just talking about it and knowing this is a big game, it's a rivalry game and doing what you gotta do.” 

Western Michigan (5-4, 4-1 MAC) rallied past Central Michigan (5-4, 3-2) in a major rivalry win on Saturday in front of 29,000-plus fans at Waldo Stadium, winning back the Victory Cannon Trophy that the Chippewas had won a year ago. 

And it took 57:52 of game time for the Broncos to finally take a lead on their rivals in front of a packed house, as quarterback Broc Lowry completed a rollout right to Tailique Williams in the back corner of the end zone on a go-ahead touchdown on a 4th and 5 play inside the Central Michigan 10 yard line. Tyler came up with his interception on the next offensive play for CMU, and one first down put the game on ice, as a visibly emotional Lance Taylor celebrated with his team. 

“Let me give you the real answer,” Western Michigan’s head coach said from the lectern a few minutes later. “As much as you talk during the week that this is just one game and you want to go 1-0 and this is just another game, and you gotta focus on your job, we all know how much this one means. We all know the importance of a rivalry game. I've played in so many of these and coached in so many of these big moments that they're special. 

“When you win these type of games against a really good football team — I think the thing that made this one so special, to go back to the question earlier, was both us and Central are playing meaningful football in November with a chance to really control our own destiny with the second half of the season on Saturday in front of our home fans. I mean, that one, it just meant a little bit more.”

Along with the Victory Cannon — and Michigan MAC — trophies, the Broncos and Chippewas had real stakes with respect to this season on the line, as both teams entered 3-1 in a logjam in second place in the conference. 

Western Michigan, at 4-1 in conference, has control over its destiny to try and make the MAC championship game at Ford Field in about a month's time. And Central Michigan, along with getting noses rubbed in a rivalry loss, is back in the middle of the pack in the league and readjusting sights back to getting bowl eligible under a new head coach.

“Incredibly — I'm just crushed for our kids, man,” Central Michigan head coach Matt Drinkall said postgame. “I'm crushed for our kids and our staff, because I know how much this means to 'em. To come up short on this one stinks.”

With so much at stake, before the Broncos ran a play on 4th down, Taylor called timeout. 

But the confidence they had in the look, and that Lowry instilled in his head coach on the sideline, had them stick with the play, one Lowry likes and they practiced well all week of prep. 

“We worked that play all week in practice,” Taylor said. “I thought it looked excellent. Broc had executed it well. Our receivers had executed it well. I remember on Thursday's practice, and Friday's practice, 'That play looks really good,' not knowing that we would need it to win the game.”

Lowry’s emergence is a major reason the Broncos have gotten to this point this season, as his dual-threat play fueled by tough running and weekly improvements as a passer give the Broncos a chance, week in and week out. 

That held true on Saturday, as Lowry weathered some early offensive lulls and sustained some crushing hits as the Broncos scored seven first half points, only to come out and lead the offense to a 17-point second half and a win. 

Lowry finished 17-of-24 for 150 yards and two touchdowns, one rushing and the game winner through the air, while adding 82 yards on 22 carries. 

He had his usual assortment of tough runs between the tackles, speedy outside runs and completed passes, plus a hero play on the go-ahead drive where he picked up a ball fumbled on an exchange and carried it forward for 10 yards. 

“I'm running out of adjectives and superlatives to say for Broc,” Taylor said. “He's a warrior and he's a winner. I mean, the guy just — he makes plays out of nothing. He continues to lead our offense. And when the moment is the biggest, he is so calm, cool and collected. He makes the biggest plays when the game is on the line. And he never flinches. That's what I love about him.”

The game might not have been so close for Western Michigan to come back, though, had the defense not stymied the Central Michigan rushing attack. 

The Chippewas entered Saturday averaging somewhere in the ballpark of 250 rushing yards a game in conference play. 

On Saturday in Waldo Stadium, Central Michigan put up 55 net yards on 35 carries. A sterling passing performance from Joe Labas — 8-of-11 for 152 yards and a touchdown, plus the tipped pick late — and elevated backup Marcus Beamon wasn’t enough to overcome the shoddy rushing showing. 

Tyler, who was front and center on plenty of those run stops, offered his perspective. 

“You gotta stop the run to be able to rush the passer. So, you know, we stopped the run first,” Tyler said.

After Saturday’s performance, one in which Tyler and his Bronco teammates weathered the storm and pulled off a memorable rivalry win, there wasn’t much else that needed to be said.