Western Michigan vs. Western Kentucky Post-Game Notes December 30, 2019

INDIVIDUAL NOTES • Redshirt senior QB threw a pass, raising his career total to 50, surpassing Brad Tayles (1989-92/49) for the fifth most in program history. o Wassink joins (2005, 2007-09/99), (2013-16/96), Tim Lester (1996-99/87) and (2009- 12/74) as the only Broncos to reach the 50-touchdown plateau in a career. • Wassink’s 20 this season are tied for the 10th most in a year by a Bronco in program history. • Wassink threw 17 passes before throwing an interception, snapping his streak at 131 consecutive tosses without a pick. • Wassink threw for 193 yards, pushing his season total to 3,097, and reaching the 3,000-yard mark for the first time in a year in his career. • Wassink rushed for 26 yards and has 220 ground yards in the last five games after having 99 through the first eight games of the season combined. • Wassink registered 219 yards of total offense, lifting his season total to 3,416, the eighth most in a year in program history and the 10th campaign with more than 3,000 yards of total offense in Western Michigan history. o Wassink’s 219 yards of total offense are the fifth most in a bowl game in Bronco history. • Freshman WR DaShon Bussell caught his second touchdown pass of the season and first since the Georgia State game. • Freshman WR Skyy Moore caught four passes for a team-high 68 yards and is up to 24 receptions for 445 yards and two touchdowns in the last five games after having 11 receptions for 179 yards in the previous four games. o In the last three contests alone, Moore had 17 grabs for 355 yards. o Moore accounted for 50.71 percent (355-of-700 yards) of WMU’s receiving yards in the final three games of the year. • Senior C Luke Juriga finished his career starting every game, a streak of 52 consecutive starts. • Graduate transfer Kareem Ali intercepted a pass and returned it 88 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter. o Ali is the first Bronco to have an interception return for a touchdown in a bowl game. o The 88-yard play is the longest in a bowl game in program history. o The 88-yard interception return is the longest in SERVEPRO First Responder Bowl history. o The 88-yard interception return is the longest in MAC bowl history, surpassing a 56-yard INT return by Central Michigan’s Doug Kress against Middle Tennessee State in the 2006 Motor City Bowl. o The 88-yard interception return is the fourth longest in Western Michigan history, and longest since Londen Fryar’s 92- yard runback versus Toledo in 2006. o The INT was the first of Ali’s career. • Senior LB Alex Grace intercepted his second pass of the season and third of his career. The pick was the first of his career in a bowl game. • Junior DE Ali Fayad booked 1.0 tackle for loss and recorded 5.5 TFL in the final two games. • Junior DT Ralph Holley recorded 2.0 TFL and has at least 0.5 TFL in four consecutive contests, and in seven of the last eight. o Holley finished with 4.5 TFL in the last two games. • Junior LB Treshaun Hayward recorded his ninth double-digit tackle game of the season, finishing with 10 stops. o Hayward is the lone Bronco since 2000 to record nine games with 10 or more tackles. o Hayward’s nine double-digit tackle games are tied for the fourth most in the Mid-American Conference since 2000. o Hayward’s 10 tackles are tied for the sixth most in a bowl game in program history. • Senior DE Antonio Balabani registered his first career sack in a bowl game and increased his season total to 3.5, tied for the third most on the team. • Graduate transfer KR Keith Mixon Jr. registered 107 kickoff return yards, boosting his season total to 813, the seventh most in a year in program history. o Mixon Jr.’s 36-yard kickoff return is the second longest runback in WMU bowl history. • Sophomore punter Nick Mihalic turned in a long punt of 57 yards, his second boot of 57+ yards in the last three weeks. o Mihalic’s 57-yard punt is the longest in WMU bowl game history. o Mihalic’s 53-yard punt is tied for the second longest in Western Michigan bowl game history. • Junior kicker Thiago Kapps booted a 30-yard field goal, the third-longest conversion in WMU bowl history.

TEAM NOTES • Western Michigan held the lead at the end of the first quarter in a bowl game for the second time in program history and first since an 8-7 advantage in the 2011 Little Caesars Pizza Bowl versus Purdue. • WMU held the lead after three quarters of a bowl game for the first time in program history. • The Bronco offensive line allowed just 1.0 sack and surrendered 4.0 total in the final six games of the year. • After a stretch of 15 caused turnovers in six games, the Broncos slowed down the pace with just three turnovers caused in games eight through 12. WMU rebounded in the finale with two turnovers created. o The Broncos recorded their first interception since totaling two versus Bowling Green on October 26. o Western Michigan finished the season with 13 interceptions, the most by the program since X in X. o WMU’s two INTs are the second most in a bowl game in program history, trailing only three in the 1988 California Raisin Bowl. • The Broncos scored off Alex Grace’s interception and Kareem Ali’s interception, giving the team its first points off a turnover since the Ohio contest on November 12. WMU has 75 points off turnovers this season. o The first 10 points by Western Michigan were all scored off of turnovers. • WMU booked 4.0 tackles for lost yards and has 15.0 in the last two games after combining for 8.0 in the previous two games. • The Broncos held Western Kentucky to seven-of-15 on third-down conversions and has held their last two opponents to eight-of-28 on third down.