NIU football (4-4,1-3 MAC) is still two wins shy of bowl eligibility after suffering a narrow defeat to archrival Ball State University in Week 9. Wednesday night’s matchup with Western Michigan University (5-3, 4-0 MAC) will be its next opportunity to get one victory closer to extend its season.
The Broncos are the last team undefeated in Mid-American Conference play after pummeling conference bottom-feeder Kent State University 52-21. Western Michigan tops the conference in total offense, scoring offense and rushing offense.
Ahead of the Huskies’ first midweek MACtion game of 2024, the Northern Star went Behind Enemy Bylines to interview Joseph Hartzell, the lead sports reporter at the Western Herald, Western Michigan’s student newspaper, to gain insight on the league-leading Broncos.
Northern Star: Western Michigan leads the MAC in most offensive metrics. How do you expect the Broncos offense to stack up against a defense like NIU’s?
Joseph Hartzell: Western Michigan’s offense has been pretty high-powered against some lesser defenses this year but has truly only struggled against one team (Ohio State University). Even in the (University of) Wisconsin game, WMU established the run and only punted twice. The offensive line is led by a pair of veterans in (redshirt senior) Addison West and (senior) Jacob Gideon and has been nationally recognized on the Joe Moore award watchlist. The combination of a strong offensive line and a trio of running backs to keep them fresh, NIU’s defensive line will need to consistently plug running lanes to slow Western’s running attack down.
NS: With Western Michigan having three of the MAC’s top-15 rushers at its disposal, how much of an impact do you expect redshirt senior quarterback Hayden Wolff to have against the Huskies?
JH: Despite having three highly-talented running backs, Hayden Wolff has been a big part of the Broncos’ success this year. His ability to control a game has been important for WMU and allows the running backs and offensive line to take over a game. Wolff has been especially strong in conference play, completing almost 74 percent of his passes, and has 11 touchdowns to just one pick in MAC play. He is on pace for career highs in completion percentage and touchdowns, while also having the highest yards per attempt of his career.
NS: Who are some standouts on the Western Michigan defense that NIU’s offense will have to look out for on Wednesday night?
JH: One big name to look out for on Western’s defense is (graduate student safety) Tate Hallock. Against Kent State, the safety graded out as the best defensive player in the country that week according to PFF. Hallock finished the game with five tackles, two interceptions and a forced fumble. He’s been a major piece for (head coach) Lance Taylor’s Broncos. Another major piece in the WMU defense is (redshirt senior) linebacker Donald Willis. Willis is the team leader in tackles with 57.
NS: The last time these two teams met a season ago, NIU put up a 24-0 shutout in DeKalb. What’s changed for Western Michigan since that game?
JH: Western Michigan’s offensive identity has become much more explosive and open. Coach Taylor talked after the Spring Game about the inability to install a vertical passing attack last year due to it being his first year and having limited time. This year, WMU’s offense is more explosive, and the downfield passing threat has really helped open up running lanes up front. That implementation has helped Western become a strong offensive team.
NS: How do you see this game playing out, and what’s your score prediction?
JH: I think NIU’s defense will give Western some difficulty early, but the ability for Western’s offensive line to start winning up front will open some things up for the Broncos’ running backs. I expect it to be somewhat low scoring as most NIU games have been this year, with WMU pulling away late to win 24-10.
