Western Michigan holds off Central Michigan 21-14 and brings the Victory Cannon back to Kalamazoo

MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. — Western Michigan ran out to a 21-0 lead and held on to beat Central Michigan 21-14 on Saturday at Kelly/Shorts Stadium, keeping the Victory Cannon in Kalamazoo for another year.

Broncos safety Daeh McCullough intercepted Chippewas quarterback Jadyn Glasser’s last-second throw into the end zone, ending a fourth-quarter comeback bid before a crowd of 25,352, according to recaps from both schools.

Western Michigan improved to 5-2 overall and 3-0 in the Mid-American Conference. Central Michigan fell to 3-4 and 1-2.

Running back Jalen Buckley carried the Broncos’ offense, rushing 24 times for 150 yards and both of his team’s rushing touchdowns, a 9-yard run in the first quarter and a 7-yard run in the third, the official box score shows. Western Michigan ran for 224 yards and threw for just 48.

Quarterback Broc Lowry completed 5 of 8 passes. His only touchdown pass, on fourth-and-2 from the CMU 10, went to tight end Nate Levicki on a play-action fake. It was Levicki’s first touchdown catch as a Bronco, WMU said.

The Broncos’ third-quarter scoring drive went 86 yards in 14 plays and used 7 minutes, 39 seconds, according to the box score.

Central Michigan did not score until 13:52 remained, when Angel Flores threw a 32-yard touchdown pass to Jaden Allen. Glasser ran in from 2 yards out with 44 seconds left, and Brett McCalla recovered the onside kick at the Western Michigan 48, CMU said.

Flores, who left late in the fourth quarter with an injury, finished 14 of 25 for 162 yards and ran 31 times for 117 yards, according to CMU. The Chippewas outgained the Broncos 337-272.

On defense, linebacker Justyce Betts led Western Michigan with 12 tackles, and defensive end Scoop Gardner Jr. had two sacks.

“We talked the whole week, as emotional as this game is, emotion doesn’t win a game like this,” second-year CMU coach Matt Drinkall said after the game. “You have to out-execute the other team.”

Next: Western Michigan plays at Toledo at noon Saturday, Oct. 24, on CBS Sports Network. Central Michigan hosts Miami (Ohio) the same day.

Sources:
Western Michigan University Athletics, “Broncos Keep Victory Cannon After 21-14 Road Win at Central Michigan,” Oct. 17, 2026 (final play, Buckley, Lowry and Levicki details, defensive stats, next game), https://wmubroncos.com/news/2026/10/17/football-broncos-keep-victory-cannon-after-21-14-road-win-at-central-michigan.aspx
Western Michigan University Athletics, official box score, WMU vs. Central Michigan, Oct. 17, 2026 (scoring summary, attendance, team statistics), https://wmubroncos.com/sports/football/stats/2026/central-michigan-university/boxscore/16864
Central Michigan University Athletics, Andy Sneddon, “Chippewas Rally, But Fall Short in Battle for the Victory Cannon With Western Michigan,” Oct. 17, 2026 (Flores statistics, onside kick, Drinkall quote, CMU schedule), https://cmuchippewas.com/news/2026/10/17/football-chippewas-rally-but-fall-short-in-battle-for-the-victory-cannon-with-western-michigan
Photo: Whippdog, “Waldo Stadium, October 8, 2016.jpg,” Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/), cropped and color-adjusted, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Waldo_Stadium,_October_8,_2016.jpg

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Tags: Kalamazoo · Sports · Western Michigan Broncos · Central Michigan Chippewas · Victory Cannon · College Football · Mid-American Conference