FBS-CFB Game Preview: Western Michigan Broncos (2-3) vs. Massachusetts Minutemen (0-4)

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Time: 2:30 PM ET (ESPN+)
Venue: Warren McGuirk Alumni Stadium, 300 Stadium Drive, Amherst, MA 01003
Capacity: 17,000

Weather Forecast (Amherst, MA)

Kickoff: 71°F, partly sunny

End of Game: ~66°F, clear skies

Rain Chance: <5%

Wind: 5–7 mph

Impact: Excellent football conditions, no weather-related disruptions expected

Injury Report

Western Michigan (2-3, 1-0 MAC):

RB Jalen Buckley – Questionable (ankle)

TE Nathan Sines – Questionable (undisclosed)

UMass (0-4, 0-0 MAC):

WR Jake McConnachie – Questionable (shoulder)

WR T.Y. Harding – Out (season-ending)

Key Player Matchups

Quarterbacks:

Western Michigan: Broc Lowry – 588 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT, 57.3% comp; 227 rush yds, 5 TD

UMass: Grant Jordan – 278 yds, 0 TD, 1 INT, 58.7% comp

Running Backs:

WMU: Ofa Mataele – 115 yds, 2 TD

UMass: Rocko Griffin – 165 yds, 1 TD

Receivers:

WMU: Tailique Williams – 217 yds

UMass: Jacquon Gibson – 288 yds

Defensive Leaders:

WMU: Michael Molnar – 41 tackles; Jay Crable – 4 sacks

UMass: Alfred Chea – 21 tackles; Nate Voorhis – 3.5 sacks

Recent Team Form

Western Michigan (2-3):

W 47-14 vs Rhode Island

W 14-13 vs Toledo

L 38-0 @ Illinois

L 33-30 (OT) vs North Texas

L 23-6 @ Michigan State

UMass (0-4):

L 42-6 @ Missouri

L 47-7 @ Iowa

L 27-26 vs Bryant

L 42-10 vs Temple

Team Records

Western Michigan: 2-3 overall, 1-0 MAC

UMass: 0-4 overall, 0-0 MAC

Series History

All-Time: Western Michigan leads 2–0

Last Meeting (2013): WMU 31, UMass 30

2012: WMU 52, UMass 14

Betting Trends

Western Michigan: 4-1 ATS in 2025; 2 of 5 games OVER

UMass: 1-3 ATS; 3 of 4 games OVER

Head-to-Head: WMU 2-0 SU vs UMass; both prior meetings OVER

Situational: WMU 3-13 SU in last 16 road games; UMass 0-10 SU in last 10 vs MAC teams

Historical Betting Results

2013: WMU 31, UMass 30 (UMass +3.5 covered, Over 52 hit)

2012: WMU 52, UMass 14 (WMU -7 covered, Over 49 hit)

Projected Score: Western Michigan 31, UMass 14

Game Odds

Western Michigan Broncos          – 13

Massachusetts Minutemen        46

Odds Courtesy of Sports Odd Direct as of Friday, October 3, 2025