With four seconds remaining in the game after recovering an onside kick, Central Michigan football had enough time for one last Hail Mary attempt from Western Michigan's 41-yard line.

However, it did not go the Chippewas' way as Jadyn Glasser's pass was intercepted in the end zone with no time remaining on the clock, allowing the Broncos to leave Kelly/Shorts Stadium with a 21-14 win.

"I don't know that in 25 years I have ever been more proud of a team I have been associated with for how hard they fought," head coach Matt Drinkall said. "Through the ups and downs, through that rivalry, coming off of a brutal loss a week ago, for those guys to bring that down and fight and claw to the last play and play a million guys and fight against all odds, I am so incredibly proud of our players."

CMU falls to 3-4 on the season and 1-2 in Mid-American Conference play.

After forcing a three-and-out in Western Michigan's first drive, Central Michigan's offense took the field, and while it saw success being aggressive early Western Michigan was able to force a turnover on downs after CMU attempted to go for it on fourth down for the second time in its first drive.

The Broncos capitalized on the ensuing drive with Jalen Buckley finding the end zone for a nine yard touchdown run in a drive in which WMU did not attempt a single pass.

Western Michigan added another touchdown to its lead on its following drive with quarterback Broc Lowry finding a wide-open Nathan Levicki in the end zone for a 10-yard touchdown.

The Chippewas attempted to respond to the scores with a field goal of their own with 1:05 remaining in the first half, but Caden VanHuis field goal was no good.

CMU only had three offensive possessions in the first half despite being able to move the ball, a common theme in its losses so far this season.

"Framing the game, it happened like last week, the [fourth] and-one, we come up just short and then when you get behind like that, we go to halftime its 14-0 and we only had three possessions the whole first half," Drinkall said. "It puts coach Chapin in a tough spot because now you have to call more of the offense that isn't really kind of how we want to be framing the game."

The second half started with the Chippewas being held to a three-and-out, which the Broncos capitalized on to the tune of a Jalen Buckley seven yard touchdown to make the score 21-0.

"Coach Bell, their OC [Offensive Coordinator], did a really good job, where they got into 13 personnel, so like three big tight ends and they were lining them up in receiver spots so they were creating a couple conditional extra gaps where the ball gets out to the corners," Drinkall said. "So they hadn't shown that a ton and we got all that fit up, but I think our kids just started playing with a little more sense of urgency in the second half."

Following this drive, Central Michigan began getting into its own rhythm on both sides of the ball, starting with the offense putting together a five-play, 93-yard touchdown drive.

Quarterback Angel Flores found Langston Lewis over the middle for a 44-yard pass as time expired in the third quarter to breathe life into CMU's offense going into the final quarter of play.

"I would say it was a vibe shift, I just feel like, when the ball is in the air, I said this last year in a couple of press conferences, it is always mine in the air," Lewis said. "I always tell Angel, just give me a chance I'm just going to make you look so good out there."

The drive ended with another long pass as Flores found Jaden Allen for a 32-yard touchdown to put points on the board for CMU and cut Western Michigan's lead to 14.

Following the first drive of the second half, Central Michigan's defense found success, holding WMU to a three-and-out.

"Coach Cronin does a great job of like 'O.K. this is what they are trying to do to us, here is how we get that tweaked and go,'" Drinkall said.

CMU was unable to move the ball on its following drive and while a muffed punt gave the Chippewas another chance to put points on the board, the offense was unable to close the gap and was held to a turnover on downs after a failed fourth and five conversion attempt.

The defense was able to hold the team from Kalamazoo to another three-and-out giving CMU the ball with 4:15 remaining in the game.

Flores led the offense down the field converting on fourth down twice with the game on the line, but took a hit to the head on his second conversion attempt causing him to be removed from the game due to CMU's concussion protocol. Glasser was sent into the game to lead the offense with under two minutes left to play.

Glasser found the end zone after a two yard rush to make the game a one possession contest.

The kickoff unit trotted onto the field with CMU's hope clinging to a potential onside kick recovery.

The ball was kicked and fluttered end-over-end 17 yards before being plucked out of the air by Brett McCalla to give Central Michigan one last chance to tie the game with 41 seconds remaining.

"He [VanHuis] hit the first one as they were calling timeout so we got a look at the kick and I saw coach Murphy grab Caden and tell him 'hey you have got to push this a little harder, a little bit wider' and Caden hit it perfect," Drinkall said. "Man, that was awesome."

Ultimately, time was not on the Chippewas' side and CMU was unable to cast the same heartbreak on the Broncos that was felt after week one's Hail Mary loss. Glasser's final shot at the end zone was intercepted by Daeh McCullough to seal the rivalry victory for WMU.

Before being removed from the game following the hit, Flores was 14 of 25 on the day with 162 passing yards and one touchdown, notably on the receiving end of three sacks in a game where he was constantly under pressure. Flores also led the team in rushing with 139 yards on the ground on 31 attempts.

"They [Western Michigan] are really, really good defensively, they have 11 good dudes that do it right," Drinkall said. "There is seven guys in the box every time, so do the math, draw a line right down the middle if you get the ball to the perimeter there is only two guys out there."

"Angel did a really good job of getting the ball to the perimeter."

The loss allows the Broncos to keep the Victory Cannon trophy for another year, as CMU comes up narrowly short in a one possession game for the second year in a row.

"As emotional as this game is, emotion doesn't win a game like this," Drinkall said. "When Ohio State plays Indiana, no one out-emotions the other team, you have to out-execute the other team, that is the reality of it."

Despite the loss, the optimism for the future of the football program rings clear as Drinkall reflects on the opportunity to face the school's rival, who once again looks to compete for a MAC Championship.

"That is a work in progress here, but I am really, really excited because we have awesome leadership and everybody here knows how important athletics and football are and we are in the process of getting this thing rolling," Drinkall said. "I told coach Taylor today 'thanks, keep doing this' because when Western is good at stuff that forces Central to do the smelling salts and get going so, you know you don't want to see Western have success, but if they are going to do it in football I know for a fact from working here for the last 23 months, it is a very good catalyst for making everyone around here get better."

"We are really, really excited here right now and I am telling you it is only going to get better from here on out."

Central Michigan football is back in Mount Pleasant on Saturday, Oct. 24, at 1 p.m. to take on Miami (Ohio).

Chippewas come up short of Victory Cannon in late-game rally

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