Western Michigan Broncos vs Ohio Bobcats Match Player Stats On Dec 02, 2016

The Sports Xchange
Dec 2, 2016

DETROIT -- Zach Terrell threw two touchdown passes, including a 70-yard strike to Corey Davis, and Butch Hampton kicked five field goals as No. 13 Western Michigan held off Ohio 29-23 in the Mid-American Conference championship game on Friday night at Ford Field.

The Broncos (13-0) remained one of two undefeated FBS teams along with No. 1 Alabama and solidified their case for a New Year's Six bowl berth while winning their first conference title. Western Michigan, ranked No. 17 in the latest College Football Playoff poll, potentially earned a Cotton Bowl bid as the Group of 5 representative.

Western Michigan, which led by 16 at halftime, isn't guaranteed that berth. Navy, ranked No. 19 in the CFP poll, has two games remaining, including the American Athletic Conference title game against Temple on Saturday.

Terrell completed 19 of 31 passes for 290 yards but was also intercepted twice after getting picked off just once during the regular season. Davis, who leads the FBS with 18 touchdown receptions this season, caught eight passes for 144 yards.

Robert Spillane's interception with 51 seconds left sealed the win.

Greg Windham came off the bench for Ohio (8-5) and passed for 214 yards and three touchdowns before he was picked off. Jordan Reid caught two of the scoring passes.

Bradd Ellis' first career interception, off a deflection, and 32-yard return gave Ohio the ball at the Broncos' 5 early in the third quarter. Windham tossed a touchdown pass to Reid on the next play, but the conversion try was missed, leaving the score at 23-13.

Hampton's 33-yard field goal later in the quarter stretched Western Michigan's lead to 13.

Windham's 31-yard touchdown pass to Papi White with 1:09 left in the quarter made it 26-20.

Ohio's Louie Zervos drilled a 37-yard field goal try with 7:14 remaining. Hampton's 34-yard field goal with 1:24 remaining made it a six-point game again.

Western Michigan led 23-7 at halftime.

Butch Hampton's 42-yard field goal midway through the first quarter put the Broncos on top. A 19-yard completion from Terrell to Davis got them in field goal position.

Ohio's Kyle Belack fumbled the ensuing kickoff after getting upended by Trevor Sweeney and the Broncos' Giovanni Ricci recovered at the 17. Western Michigan had to settle for a Hampton field goal, this one from 27 yards to make it 6-0.

The Broncos drove 77 yards in 17 plays on their next possession but only came away with three more points on Hampton's 21-yard field goal.

Bobcats coach Frank Solich then swapped out starting quarterback Quinton Maxwell for Windham. That move paid immediate dividends when Windham hooked up with Papi White on a 67-yard pass play. Windham's 8-yard scoring pass to Jordan Reid on third down cut the Broncos' lead to 9-7.

Western Michigan's dynamic duo struck on the next play from scrimmage. Terrell found Davis over the middle, who caught the pass at his own 48, then cut to his left and outraced the Ohio defense on the 70-yard scoring play.

Terrell's 8-yard touchdown pass to Carrington Thompson with 36 seconds left completed the first-half scoring.

NOTES: Western Michigan lost to Marshall in 1999 and 2000 in its only other appearances in the Mid-American Conference title game. ... Ohio was making its first appearance in the MAC championship since 2011. ... Western Michigan WR Corey Davis is the first player in FBS history to have at least 300 receptions, 5,000 receiving yards and 50 receiving touchdowns. ... The last MAC team to go 12-0 in the regular season was Northern Illinois in 2013. ... Ohio's Frank Solich is the NCAA's fourth-longest tenured head coach. ... The Bobcats are bowl eligible for the eighth consecutive season, the longest current streak in the MAC.