Broncos gunning for 10 wins this fall

Sat, Aug 15, 2009    to del.icio.us

KALAMAZOO — After winning eight or more games in two of the past three seasons, Western Michigan University looks to make it 10 wins for the first time in school history this season.

The Broncos held their annual media day on Friday, and despite losing 25 seniors off last season's 9-4 season that included a trip to the Texas Bowl, optimism is running high in Kalamazoo.

"We really want to get that 10th win this year," said Grand Haven native Phil Swanson, a junior offensive lineman at WMU. "It means we're getting that much closer to our ultimate goal of winning the MAC championship."

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Swanson shrugs off the assertion that the Broncos are a young team.

"Every team in the nation's young. We're all, what, 20, 21, 22?" Swanson said. "You may be a freshman, but if you're ready to contribute, you'll play. We've all been playing football our entire lives."

Much of the optimism at WMU centers around the return of record-setting quarterback Tim Hiller. Despite tearing his ACL late in the season (an injury he played through), Hiller, a senior from Orville, Ohio, finished the season with 3,275 yards and 36 touchdowns, both school records. He led the MAC in five of the six major passing categories (attempts, completions, yards, yards per game and touchdowns) and became just the second WMU player to throw for over 3,000 yards in a season twice in his career.

"If he doesn't get hurt, he might have been a 4,000-yard passer," said Broncos' coach Bill Cubit. "When I talk to pro scouts and tell them what he has to do, they look at me and say, 'You've got to be kidding me.' Tim leads by example, and when he says something, people listen to him."

Hiller, who has been mentioned as a candidate for several national awards, said he's just taking it a day at a time.

"Honestly, I try to be real sheltered from it," he said of the preseason attention. "If the team does well, if the team wins the amount of games we should win, if the team accomplishes what we should accomplish, then those things are just icing on the cake. ... We're here to win games. I'm here to win games, and these guys know that's what it's all about."

The Broncos lost safety Louis Delmas to the NFL, along with cornerback E.J. Biggers, wide receiver Jamarko Simmons, cornerback Londen Fryar and tight end Branden Ledbetter.

To replace those players, a number of freshmen will get playing time this fall. Cubit said many of those freshmen are looking good already this fall.

"We lost a lot of experience, but we're making up for it with enthusiasm," he said. "One of the first things I do the first three days of practice, I walk around a lot, look at the freshmen, see if they're what we thought they were during recruiting. That's what I've done, and I'm really happy with it. There are some guys a little bit further behind than others, but the talent level is really good."

A year ago, the Broncos' motto was, "Just finish." This year, they've changed it to, "Broncos Chasing Perfection."

"We try to be perfect. It's never going to happen, but at the same time, if we keep chasing that, then I think we'll be a lot further along," Cubit said.

The Broncos open their season on Sept. 5 at Michigan. Other key dates include a Sept. 12 game at Indiana, a home date with Central Michigan on Oct. 17, and a contest at Michigan State on Nov. 7.