Meet Your Insider
Hi there, Bronco fans, and welcome to The Cover Window! I'm Corwin Dahlquist, your Western Michigan insider. I studied paper engineering here in Kalamazoo, a town with deep paper-mill roots, so yes, I can tell you the tensile strength of a playbook page. I travel with this team and I live with this team. I'm an earnest Michigan nerd, and I rate every opponent the way you'd rate a Kalamazoo diner breakfast. A short stack is light work. A full stack means you'll need a nap afterward. When we win, I declare a full stack and do a big syrup-pour gesture. When we lose, I mourn "short stack today" and eat dry toast on air, because I believe in accountability. Every week you'll get the players, the coaches and the matchup, served hot.
The School in 60 Seconds
Last season was a full stack with whipped cream on top. Western Michigan won the 2025 MAC championship, only the fourth conference title in school history. Lance Taylor was named MAC Coach of the Year. Quarterback Broc Lowry was MAC Offensive Player of the Year, and defensive end Nadame Tucker was Defensive Player of the Year and won the Vern Smith Leadership Award as the league's top player. The 2025 team won seven conference games, tied for the second-most in school history behind the 8-0 run in 2016. The Broncos also won the Cannon Trophy in 2023 and 2025, and Michigan MAC Trophies in 2023, 2024 and 2025, and they finished the season in the Myrtle Beach Bowl against Kennesaw State. Last year they averaged 20,000 fans a game at home for the first time since 2016. Home is Waldo Stadium in Kalamazoo, listed at 30,200.
The Coach and the Scheme
Lance Taylor was hired on Dec. 8, 2022, and in December 2025 he signed an extension through the 2030 season. The 2026 numbers say Western Michigan runs the ball and plays defense. It runs on about 63% of its plays for 164.7 yards a game, with 13 rushing touchdowns. The defense allows just 16.9 points a game, 25th in FBS. It has 16 sacks and has allowed only 9. The Broncos have lost only three turnovers and are plus-4 in turnover margin (22nd). They're also disciplined, at 45.0 penalty yards a game (24th). The passing game is the short stack right now: 157.6 yards a game ranks 129th.
Players to Know
RB Jalen Buckley: 542 yards and 7 TD on 102 carries. At Central Michigan he ran 24 times for 150 yards and two touchdowns. He was the 2023 MAC Freshman of the Year. Full stack.
QB Broc Lowry: 1,044 yards, 8 TD, just 1 INT, 68.0% completions. He's the reigning MAC Offensive Player of the Year.
WR Aveion Chenault: 22 catches, 326 yards, 1 TD.
I couldn't verify 2026 defensive leaders from a free source, so I'm not listing any. Accuracy is a full stack, too.
The Conference Picture
Western Michigan is 5-2 overall and 3-0 in the MAC, 2-1 at home and 3-1 on the road. The wins: Monmouth 49-14, Rice 28-21, Buffalo 20-17, Kent State 38-7 and Central Michigan 21-14. The Broncos have won three straight and four of their last five. The losses were 13-12 at Michigan and at home to Boise State. Staying unbeaten in the MAC is the goal, and Bowling Green comes to Waldo next.
This Week: Western Michigan (5-2) at Toledo (5-2)
Saturday, Oct. 24 · Noon ET · Glass Bowl, Toledo · CBS Sports Network.
Last week: we beat Central Michigan 21-14 on the road, with Buckley running for 150 yards. Toledo beat Eastern Michigan 34-14.
Our offense vs. their defense: Toledo allows 125.4 rushing yards a game (46th) and 23.6 points (69th). Buckley and our run game need to win up front.
Their offense vs. our defense: this is a big one. Toledo scores 36.3 points a game (28th) and averages 459.0 yards (20th). QB John Alan Richter has 1,853 yards, 14 TDs and one interception. Our defense allows 16.9 points a game, and our red-zone defense is 17th. Toledo has allowed only 3 sacks all year, so getting pressure will be hard.
Series: Toledo leads the all-time series 39-24, but we won last year's meeting 14-13.
Availability: I found no official availability report for either team as of Oct. 18, 2026.
What decides it: (1) Can Buckley keep the chains moving and the Toledo offense off the field? (2) Can our defense slow Richter? (3) Penalties. We're 24th in FBS, Toledo is 126th. Free yards matter in a close game.
And to Rocco Szczepanski, Toledo's insider: I rate your offense a full stack, my friend. Ours is a full stack with blueberries.
Local Flavor (unsponsored, not an ad)
Watching in Kalamazoo? Studio Grill on West Michigan Avenue. Pancakes, obviously.
My call: Toledo Rockets 26, Western Michigan Broncos 22.