Western Michigan wins MAC, likely Cotton Bowl berth

The Western Michigan Broncos were able to pull away from the Ohio Bobcats and win the MAC Championship in Detroit on Friday night.

The Western Michigan Broncos and P.J. Fleck are going to a New Year’s Six bowl game. It wasn’t easy in Detroit on Friday night, but the Broncos put together a huge drive late to put away the Ohio Bobcats for good.

The Broncos really struggled to get the ball in the end zone to start the game. However, the good news was that the special teams unit was strong and their defense picked them up on the field early.

Butch Hampton would connect on three straight field goals and the Broncos would jump out to an early 9-0 lead on the field. While the Broncos were getting points on the board, the Bobcats started to put the heat on them a little bit.

Quarterback Greg Windham found Jordan Reid for a touchdown and the Bobcats cut the deficit to two points. The Broncos would finally answer with a touchdown of their own.

Zach Terrell found Corey Davis for a huge 70-yard touchdown and it felt like the Broncos were off to the races with a nine-point lead again. Terrell would throw another touchdown near the end of the half and the Broncos would hold a 23-7 advantage.

Looking for a knockout punch to begin the second half, a bad interception set Ohio up with the ball deep in Western Michigan territory. Windham found Reid again and the Bobcats cut the deficit to 10 points.

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Another Windham TD and a field goal helped pull the Bobcats within three late. The Broncos tacked on one last field goal to push it to a six-point lead at 29-23. With under 90 seconds remaining, the Bobcats would have their last chance at an upset.

The Bobcats would move the ball inside Western Michigan territory and would get close. Windham would throw an interception over the middle and the Broncos would hold onto win the MAC Championship for the first time since 1988 and a likely spot in the Cotton Bowl.