5 Western Michigan players to watch against Iowa football

IOWA CITY — There is little doubt about who is supposed to win in Iowa football’s nonconference finale Saturday against Western Michigan.

The Hawkeyes are a 29-point favorite, per Caesars Sportsbook. ESPN’s Football Power Index gives Iowa a 94.2 percent chance of winning. The last time Iowa played Western Michigan, it resulted in one of the biggest blowout wins (59-3) in the Kirk Ferentz era.

But Western Michigan has some intriguing players, nonetheless. Here are five Broncos to watch:

QB Jack Salopek

The starting quarterback spot had some uncertainty going into the 2023 season, but Salopek appears to be the Broncos’ guy at the position.

The sophomore from Irwin, Pa., has completed about 69 percent of his passes through two games while throwing one touchdown and two interceptions.

Salopek also started seven games last season for Western Michigan.

Accuracy has been an issue in his time as the starter in Kalamazoo, Mich. Since the start of the 2022 season, he has 13 interceptions versus eight touchdowns. Most notably, he had five interceptions in Western Michigan’s 33-14 loss to Ohio and three interceptions in its 34-13 loss to then-No. 23 Pittsburgh last season.

Treyson Bourguet and Old Dominion transfer Hayden Wolff also have seen some game action under center this season.

RB Jalen Buckley

Buckley has emerged as a key weapon on Western Michigan’s offense this year.

The running back has a team-high 281 rushing yards on 38 carries and two rushing touchdowns. That translates to 7.4 yards per carry.

He has shown big-play potential in both of the Broncos’ games so far. He had a 68-yard rush against St. Francis (Pa.) and a 75-yard touchdown run on the second play of the game against Syracuse. His touchdown accounted for the Broncos’ only points against the Orange.

Buckley arrived at Western Michigan in 2022 and played in four games as a true freshman before redshirting. He had nine carries for 27 yards last season.

DB Keni-H Lovely

Lovely is not the biggest cornerback at 5-foot-10 and 176 pounds. He has been a big contributor for the Broncos, however.

Opposing quarterbacks have gone only 3-of-9 when throwing to Lovely’s receivers, per Pro Football Focus. He also is the team leader with two tackles for loss despite playing in the secondary.

Lovely, a third-team all-Mid-American Conference selection, had four interceptions last year. Three of the four picks were in Western Michigan’s final three games of the season. His pick-6 in the season finale was the difference-maker in the Broncos’ 20-14 win against bowl-bound Toledo.

Lovely comes from a talented football family. He has three brothers who played college football at the FBS level, and two of them — Joe Looney and James Looney — were third-day NFL Draft selections.

TE Austin Hence

Hence is technically an eighth-year college football player.

Yes, eight years.

Hence started his career in 2016 at Division II Mercyhurst University in Erie, Pa.

He redshirted his true freshman season after appearing in four games. Then he appeared in 21 games from 2017-19. He would have been a redshirt senior in 2020, but Mercyhurst did not play football because of the pandemic.

Then he transferred to Western Michigan as a walk-on. But he suffered season-ending injuries in fall camp in 2021 and ’22.

Western Michigan applied for a medical hardship waiver, which the NCAA granted.

Now as an eighth-year tight end, Hence is one of Western Michigan’s top offensive weapons. He had a team-high eight receptions on 11 targets last week against Syracuse.

The week before, he caught a nine-yard touchdown pass from Salopek in the Broncos’ win over St. Francis (Pa.).

“''The best moment of all was the field lights flashing after I scored,” Hence said in an article on Western Michigan’s website. “It felt like a magical moment.''

DL Marshawn Kneeland

Now in his fifth season in Kalamazoo, Kneeland is not one to overlook on Western Michigan’s defensive line.

Kneeland earned a spot last month on the Senior Bowl’s 2024 preseason watch list, joining only five others in the MAC. He is coming off a season with 10 tackles for loss despite only playing nine games.

So far this year, he has 1.5 tackles for loss and is fourth on the team with 10 total tackles.

Comments: john.steppe@thegazette.com