2025 Western Michigan Broncos football team

2025 Western Michigan Broncos football
Conference	Mid-American Conference
Record	4–3 (3–0 MAC)
Head coach	Lance Taylor (3rd season)
Offensive coordinator	Walt Bell (2nd season)
Defensive coordinator	Chris O'Leary (1st season)
Home stadium	Waldo Stadium
Seasons ←  2024 2026 →

2025 Mid-American Conference football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
Buffalo		3	–	0					4	–	3
Miami (OH)		3	–	0					4	–	3
Western Michigan		3	–	0					4	–	3
Ball State		2	–	1					3	–	4
Central Michigan		2	–	1					4	–	3
Ohio		2	–	1					4	–	3
Toledo		2	–	2					4	–	3
Bowling Green		1	–	2					3	–	4
Kent State		1	–	2					2	–	5
Akron*		1	–	3					2	–	6
Eastern Michigan		1	–	3					2	–	6
Northern Illinois		0	–	3					1	–	6
UMass		0	–	3					0	–	7
Championship: December 6, 2025
* Ineligible for postseason play due to low APR score As of October 20, 2025

The 2025 Western Michigan Broncos football team represents Western Michigan University in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) during the 2025 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Broncos are led by Lance Taylor in his third-year as the head coach and the Broncos play their home games at Waldo Stadium, located in Kalamazoo, Michigan. ^[1]

Preseason

The MAC Football Kickoff was held on Thursday, July 24, 2025 at the Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan from 9:00 am EDT to 1:30 pm EDT. ^[2]

Preseason polls

Coaches Poll

On July 24 the MAC announced the preseason coaches' poll. ^[3]

MAC Coaches poll
Predicted finish	Team	Votes (1st place)
1	Toledo	135 (7)
2	Miami	131 (3)
3	Ohio	123 (3)
4	Buffalo	115
5	Northern Illinois	94
6	Bowling Green	81
7	Western Michigan	71
8	Eastern Michigan	68
9	Central Michigan	65
10	Ball State	41
T11	Akron	39
T11	Massachusetts	39
13	Kent State	12

Coaches poll (MAC Championship)
Predicted finish	Team	Votes
1	Toledo	6
2	Miami	4
3	Ohio	3

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
August 29	7:00 p.m.	at Michigan State *	Spartan Stadium East Lansing, MI	FS1	L 6–23	71,657
September 6	3:30 p.m.	North Texas *	Waldo Stadium Kalamazoo, MI	ESPN+	L 30–33 OT	20,051
September 13	7:00 p.m.	at No. 9 Illinois *	Gies Memorial Stadium Champaign, IL	FS1	L 0–38	60,670
September 20	3:30 p.m.	Toledo	Waldo Stadium Kalamazoo, MI	ESPN+	W 14–13	20,744
September 27	6:30 p.m.	No. 6 (FCS) Rhode Island *	Waldo Stadium Kalamazoo, MI	ESPN+	W 47–14	20,191
October 4	2:30 p.m.	at UMass	Warren McGuirk Alumni Stadium Hadley, MA	ESPN+	W 21–3	10,014
October 11	3:30 p.m.	Ball State	Waldo Stadium Kalamazoo, MI	ESPN+	W 42–0	20,032
October 25	3:30 p.m.	at Miami (OH)	Yager Stadium Oxford, OH	ESPN+
November 1	4:00 p.m.	Central Michigan	Waldo Stadium Kalamazoo, MI (rivalry, Michigan MAC Trophy)	ESPNU
November 11	7:30 p.m.	Ohio	Waldo Stadium Kalamazoo, MI	ESPN2/ESPNU
November 18	7:00 p.m.	at Northern Illinois	Huskie Stadium DeKalb, IL	ESPN2/ESPNU/CBSSN
November 29		at Eastern Michigan	Rynearson Stadium Ypsilanti, MI (Michigan MAC Trophy)
*Non-conference game Rankings from AP Poll and CFP Rankings released prior to game All times are in Eastern time

^[4]

Game summaries

at Michigan State

See also: 2025 Michigan State Spartans football team

Western Michigan Broncos (0–0) at Michigan State Spartans (0–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Broncos	0	0	0	6	6
Spartans	7	14	2	0	23

at Spartan Stadium • East Lansing, Michigan

• Date: August 29
• Game time: 7:00 p.m.
• Game weather: 68 °F (20 °C), Wind: 5 mph S, Sunny
• Game attendance: 71,657
• Referee: Jason Nickleby
• TV announcers (FS1): Dan Hellie (play-by-play) and Petros Papadakis (analyst)

Game information

First quarter MSU – Brandon Tullis 12-yard run (Blake Sislo kick), 5:30. Spartans 7–0. Drive: 10 plays, 74 yards, 5:42. Second quarter MSU – Nick Marsh 7-yard pass from Aidan Chiles (Blake Sislo kick), 10:43. Spartans 14–0. Drive: 12 plays, 75 yards, 5:59. MSU – Makhi Frazier 9-yard run (Blake Sislo kick), 1:58. Spartans 21–0. Drive: 6 plays, 54 yards, 2:25. Third quarter MSU – Team safety, 8:01. Spartans 23–0. Fourth quarter WMU – Tate Hallock 32-yard interception return (pass failed), 2:51. Spartans 23–6. Drive: 4 plays, 77 yards, 0:23.

Statistics	WMU	MSU
First downs	10	20
Plays–yards	57–217	65–341
Rushes–yards	24–29	41–186
Passing yards	188	155
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	16–33–1	17–24–1
Time of possession	23:13	36:47

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Western Michigan	Passing	Brady Jones	11/23, 97 yards, INT
	Rushing	Jalen Buckley	9 carries, 21 yards
	Receiving	Baylin Brooks	3 receptions, 85 yards
Michigan State	Passing	Aidan Chiles	17/23, 155 yards, TD
	Rushing	Makhi Frazier	14 carries, 103 yards, TD
	Receiving	Omari Kelly	7 receptions, 75 yards

vs North Texas

See also: 2025 North Texas Mean Green football team

North Texas Mean Green (1–0) at Western Michigan Broncos (0–1) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	OT	Total
Mean Green	0	7	10	10	6	33
Broncos	0	17	7	3	3	30

at Waldo Stadium • Kalamazoo, Michigan

• Date: September 6
• Game time: 3:30 PM EDT
• Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 63 °F (17 °C) • Wind: E at 15 miles per hour (24 km/h)
• Game attendance: 20,051
• Referee: Rick Warne
• TV announcers (ESPN+): Evan Stockton (play-by-play) and Marcus Ray (analyst)

Game information

First quarter No scoring plays. Second quarter WMU – Broc Lowry 25-yard run (Palmer Domschke kick), 13:33. Broncos 7–0. Drive: 9 plays, 61 yards, 4:34. UNT – Kiefer Sibley 10-yard run (Kali Nguma kick), 10:48. Tied 7–7. Drive: 8 plays, 68 yards, 2:45. WMU – Jalen Buckley 17-yard pass from Broc Lowry (Palmer Domschke kick), 8:08. Broncos 14–7. Drive: 5 plays, 64 yards, 2:40. WMU – Palmer Domschke 40-yard field goal, 0:00. Broncos 17–7. Drive: 10 plays, 30 yards, 2:54. Third quarter UNT – Kali Nguma 22-yard field goal, 10:37. Broncos 17–10. Drive: 13 plays, 68 yards, 4:18. WMU – Broc Lowry 8-yard run (Palmer Domschke kick), 6:33. Broncos 24–10. Drive: 7 plays, 41 yards, 3:54. UNT – Tre Williams III 18-yard pass from Drew Mestemaker (Kali Nguma kick), 4:40. Broncos 24–17. Drive: 4 plays, 67 yards, 1:48. Fourth quarter WMU – Palmer Domschke 43-yard field goal, 14:13. Broncos 27–17. Drive: 9 plays, 36 yards, 5:19. UNT – Cameron Dorner 4-yard pass from Drew Mestemaker (Kali Nguma kick), 10:03. Broncos 27–24. Drive: 9 plays, 65 yards, 4:10. UNT – Kali Nguma 25-yard field goal, 1:34. Tied 27–27. Drive: 9 plays, 68 yards, 1:40. Overtime WMU – Palmer Domschke 48-yard field goal. Broncos 30–27. Drive: 4 plays, -5 yards. UNT – Makenzie McGill II 3-yard run. Mean Green 33–30. Drive: 3 plays, 25 yards.

Statistics	UNT	WMU
First downs	25	18
Plays–yards	71-406	63-303
Rushes–yards	30-182	57-216
Passing yards	224	87
Passing: comp–att–int	18-33-0	7-14-0
Turnovers	0	0
Time of possession	23:22	36:38

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
North Texas	Passing	Drew Mestemaker	18/33, 224 yards, 2 TD
	Rushing	Makenzie McGill II	16 carries, 102 yards, TD
	Receiving	Wyatt Young	4 receptions, 59 yards
Western Michigan	Passing	Broc Lowry	5/10, 75 yards, TD
	Rushing	Jalen Buckley	30 carries, 112 yards, TD
	Receiving	Jalen Buckley	2 receptions, 51 yards

at No. 9 Illinois

See also: 2025 Illinois Fighting Illini football team

Western Michigan Broncos (0–2) at No. 9 Illinois Fighting Illini (2–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Broncos	-	-	-	-	0
No. 9 Fighting Illini	-	-	-	-	0

at Gies Memorial Stadium • Champaign, Illinois

• Date: September 13
• Game time: 6:00 PM CDT
• TV announcers (FS1): Noah Reed (play-by-play) and Robert Smith (analyst)

Statistics	WMU	ILL
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Western Michigan	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Illinois	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

Toledo

See also: 2025 Toledo Rockets football team

Toledo Rockets (2–1) at Western Michigan Broncos (0–3) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Rockets	-	-	-	-	0
Broncos	-	-	-	-	0

at Waldo Stadium • Kalamazoo, Michigan

• Date: September 20
• Game time: 3:30 p.m. EDT
• TV announcers (ESPN+): Ted Emrich (play-by-play) and Marcus Ray (analyst)

Statistics	TOL	WMU
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Toledo	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Western Michigan	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

No. 6 (FCS) Rhode Island

See also: 2025 Rhode Island Rams football team

No. 6 (FCS) Rhode Island Rams (4–0) vs. Western Michigan Broncos (1–3) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 6 (FCS) Rams	7	0	0	7	14
Broncos	3	28	13	3	47

at Waldo Stadium • Kalamazoo, Michigan

• Date: September 27
• Game time: 6:30 PM EDT
• TV announcers (ESPN+): Jack Kizer (play-by-play) and Forrest Conoly (analyst)

Statistics	URI	WMU
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Rhode Island	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Western Michigan	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at UMass

See also: 2025 UMass Minutemen football team

Western Michigan Broncos (2–3) vs. UMass Minutemen (0–4) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Broncos	0	7	7	7	21
Minutemen	3	0	0	0	3

at Warren McGuirk Alumni Stadium • Hadley, Massachusetts

• Date: October 4
• Game time: 2:30 p.m. EDT
• TV announcers (ESPN+): Cooper Boardman (play-by-play) and Craig Haubert (analyst)

Statistics	WMU	MASS
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Western Michigan	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
UMass	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

Ball State

See also: 2025 Ball State Cardinals football team

Ball State Cardinals (2–3) vs. Western Michigan Broncos (3–3) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Cardinals	0	0	0	0	0
Broncos	7	14	7	14	42

at Waldo Stadium • Kalamazoo, Michigan

• Date: October 11
• Game time: 3:30 p.m. EDT
• TV announcers (ESPN+): Shawn Kenney (play-by-play) and Marcus Ray (analyst)

Statistics	BALL	WMU
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Ball State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Western Michigan	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at Miami (OH)

See also: 2025 Miami RedHawks football team

Western Michigan Broncos (4–3) vs. Miami RedHawks (4–3) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Broncos	-	-	-	-	0
RedHawks	-	-	-	-	0

at Yager Stadium • Oxford, Ohio

• Date: October 25

Statistics	WMU	M-OH
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Western Michigan	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Miami (OH)	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

Central Michigan (rivalry)

See also: 2025 Central Michigan Chippewas football team, Central Michigan–Western Michigan football rivalry, and Michigan MAC Trophy

Central Michigan Chippewas (0–0) vs. Western Michigan Broncos (0–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Chippewas	-	-	-	-	0
Broncos	-	-	-	-	0

at Waldo Stadium • Kalamazoo, Michigan

• Date: November 1

Statistics	CMU	WMU
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Central Michigan	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Western Michigan	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

Ohio

See also: 2025 Ohio Bobcats football team

Ohio Bobcats (0–0) vs. Western Michigan Broncos (0–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Bobcats	-	-	-	-	0
Broncos	-	-	-	-	0

at Waldo Stadium • Kalamazoo, Michigan

• Date: November 11
• Game time: 7:30 PM EST

Statistics	OHIO	WMU
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Ohio	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Western Michigan	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at Northern Illinois

See also: 2025 Northern Illinois Huskies football team

Western Michigan Broncos (0–0) vs. Northern Illinois Huskies (0–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Broncos	-	-	-	-	0
Huskies	-	-	-	-	0

at Huskie Stadium • DeKalb, Illinois

• Date: November 18
• Game time: 6:00 PM CST

Statistics	WMU	NIU
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Western Michigan	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Northern Illinois	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at Eastern Michigan (Michigan MAC Trophy)

See also: 2025 Eastern Michigan Eagles football team and Michigan MAC Trophy

Western Michigan Broncos (0–0) vs. Eastern Michigan Eagles (0–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Broncos	-	-	-	-	0
Eagles	-	-	-	-	0

at Rynearson Stadium • Ypsilanti, Michigan

• Date: November 25

Statistics	WMU	EMU
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Western Michigan	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Eastern Michigan	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

References

1. "2024 Football Coaching Staff". Western Michigan University Athletics. Retrieved January 31, 2024.
2. "2025 Division I FBS Media Days". www.sportswriters.net. FWAA. Retrieved June 28, 2025.
3. "Toledo Selected as Favorite in Head Coaches Preseason Football Poll". getsomemaction.com. Mid-American Conference. July 24, 2025. Retrieved July 24, 2025.
4. "2025 Western Michigan Football Schedule". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved January 20, 2025.