Western Michigan withstands Central Michigan comeback, wins rivalry game at home, 38-28

KALAMAZOO — Hayden Wolff threw for 333 yards and three touchdowns and Western Michigan continued its push to bowl eligibility beating Central Michigan, 38-28, in a back-and-forth game on Tuesday night.

Western Michigan (4-6, 3-3 Mid-American Conference) has won consecutive games for the first time this season. The Broncos led, 21-7, at halftime before Central Michigan (5-5, 3-3) scored three touchdowns in the third quarter for a 28-21 advantage.

WMU retains the Victory Cannon, the trophy for this rivalry matchup which dates back to 1907. The Broncos also win the Michigan MAC Trophy with Tuesday's win, thanks to its 45-21 win over Eastern Michigan earlier this season.

The Broncos reestablished control with a 17-point fourth and held Central Michigan scoreless. Jalen Buckley’s 52-yard touchdown run pulled Western Michigan into a 28-all tie with 8:53 remaining.

On the first play of the Chippewas following drive, WMU’s Aaron Wofford recovered Marion Lukes’ fumble after his 17-yard run. On the second play of the Broncos’ ensuing drive, Wolff threw a 41-yard scoring pass to Leroy Thomas with 7:51 left. Palmer Domschke’s 27-yard field goal with 1:37 left sealed it.

Buckley had a 117 yards on the ground in 23 carries and scored two touchdowns. Kenneth Womack had 135 yards receiving on 12 catches.

Central Michigan’s Jase Bauer threw all three of his scoring passes in the third to give the Chippewas their first lead of the game. He threw scoring passes of 10 and 3 yards to Mitchell Collier and 67 yards to Tyson Davis in just under a four-minute span.

Lukes ran for 147 yards on 27 carries and scored a touchdown for Central Michigan.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Western Michigan withstands Central Michigan comeback for 38-28 win