Western Michigan asserts dominance in 52-24 win against Nevada in Quick Lane Bowl
Western Michigan let Nevada know what kind of day it was in for in the early stages of the 2021 Quick Lane Bowl.
It only took 13 seconds — and 100 yards.
After falling behind early 3-0 in the first quarter, Western Michigan's Sean Tyler returned the ensuing kickoff 100 yards to give the Broncos a 7-3 lead. That return helped set the tone for a 52-24 victory for the Broncos in the 2021 Quick Lane Bowl at Ford Field on Monday afternoon.
For Nevada, any chance they'd get close to grabbing a slice of the momentum from Western, the Broncos made sure to not hand it over, and then punish them for even thinking of trying. WMU scored on five of their first six drives with the lone non-scoring drive coming on an interception from a Hail Mary to end the first half.
On third down early in the first quarter, quarterback Kaleb Eleby had managed meager yardage to get the Broncos out from the shadow of their own goalpost. Following a timeout, Eleby connected with Corey Crooms for a 74-yard touchdown to extend the Broncos lead to 14-3 with 6:31 remaining in the opening frame.
Eleby finished the day with 162 yards on 8 of 14 passing, two touchdowns and added in 23 yards and a score on the ground. Eleby wasn't alone in the all-out domination of the Wolfpack, WMU receiver Skyy Moore added in four catches and Brett Borske caught a 20-yard touchdown pass to make the score 24-10 midway through the second quarter.
On the ground, the Wolfpack struggled to contain the tandem of Tyler and Jaxson Kincaide. In addition to Tyler's eye-popping kickoff return, he amassed 146 yards on the ground, averaging 10.4 yards per carry. Jaxson Kincaide's 105 yards rushing and two touchdowns kept Nevada playing from behind and stymied any attempts at a competitive second half.
Nevada's attempts to serve and volley their way into a high-scoring affair with Western Michigan were quickly stopped as they were forced on three-and-outs with high frequency. The Broncos defense collected eight tackles for loss that totaled 40 yards. At least 10 Broncos defenders collected three tackles, linebacker Ryan Selig led the team with 10 on the afternoon.
While the Wolfpack offense struggled to keep pace, the Broncos had no problem converting on early downs which presented them with few third- and fourth-down opportunities.
In the first half, the Broncos doubled the Wolfpack in average yards per play 8.8 to 4.1. Nevada quarterback Nate Cox, filling in for NFL-draft bound Carson Strong, struggled to gain consistency and keep the Wolfpack in the ballgame. Cox finished with 121 yards on 12 of 23 passing with a touchdown.
Nevada's Devonte Lee was the star on offense for the Wolfpack as he busted out long runs of 33 and 34 yards. Lee, teaming up with fellow back Toa Taua to account for the two Nevada touchdowns on the day, both 1-yard touchdown runs.