Western Kentucky 23, Western Michigan 20
When: 12:30 PM ET, Monday, December 30, 2019
Where: Gerald J. Ford Stadium, Dallas, Texas
Temperature:
50°
Head Official:
Jeremy Parker
Attendance:
13164
By Field Level Media
Cory Munson drilled a 52-yard field goal as time expired Monday, lifting Western Kentucky to a 23-20 win over Western Michigan in the First Responder Bowl in Dallas.
Western Kentucky (9-4) got the chance to kick after a replay review detected that the Broncos (7-6) had 12 men on the field while breaking up a Hail Mary pass into the end zone on what appeared to be the last play of regulation. Given five yards and an untimed down, Munson made a kick that would have been good from at least 10 yards further out.
Ty Storey completed 35 of 51 passes for 358 yards and two touchdowns with two interceptions for the Hilltoppers. Lucky Jackson caught 17 of those passes for 148 yards, including a 5-yard scoring strike with 10:48 left that tied the game at 17.
After Thiago Kapps' 20-yard field goal with 4:58 remaining put Western Michigan ahead 20-17, Munson tied it on a 31-yard field goal at the 1:36 mark.
Broncos quarterback Jon Wassink completed 19 of 36 passes for 193 yards with a touchdown and an interception.
Western Michigan initiated scoring with 4:17 left in the first quarter when Kapps converted a 30-yard field goal to end a 13-play, 57-yard drive. That would become a theme throughout the game, as the teams scored following lengthy marches.
Western Kentucky took the lead with 10:54 remaining in the first half on Storey's 17-yard touchdown pass to Jahcour Pearson, capping an 11-play, 93-yard drive. Munson's 26-yard field goal with 2:22 left upped the margin to 10-3.
But the Broncos' defense came up with a big play in the final minute. Kareem Ali picked off Storey and raced 88 yards for a game-tying touchdown that sent the teams to halftime tied at 10.
Western Michigan kept that momentum going into the third quarter, grabbing a 17-10 advantage as Wassink found DaShon Bussell for a 6-yard scoring strike at the 8:18 mark. That finished a 10-play, 90-yard drive.
--Field Level Media
Top Game Performances
Rushing
Western Kentucky |
|
Western Michigan |
Gaej Walker
|
Player |
LeVante Bellamy
|
15 |
Attempts |
18 |
93 |
Yards |
60 |
6.2 |
Avg Yards |
3.3 |
0 |
Touchdowns |
0 |
0 |
Long |
0 |
Receiving
Western Kentucky |
|
Western Michigan |
Lucky Jackson
|
Player |
Skyy Moore
|
17 |
Receptions |
4 |
148 |
Yards |
68 |
8.7 |
Avg Yards |
17.0 |
1 |
Touchdowns |
0 |
0 |
Long |
0 |
Team Stats Summary