KALAMAZOO, Mich. – A week after earning share of first place in the Mid-American Conference, Ohio lost it with a 17-13 loss to Western Michigan on Tuesday night at Waldo Stadium.

The Broncos answered the Bobcats’ go-ahead touchdown on the first play of the fourth quarter with a huge 71-yard completion from Broc Williams to Tailique Williams to set up the winning score in the defensive battle with 13:43 remaining.

Their defense did the rest, holding Ohio (6-3, 4-2 MAC) to just 70 passing yards and only 277 yards altogether.

Western Michigan (6-3, 5-1 MAC) did not get too much going either, but Williams’ big play was enough. It seemed he would be brought down in the backfield on the screen pass, which would have resulted in a third-and-long, but he brushed off a trio of defenders, made another miss and then got blocking nearly the rest of the way down the field to the 3-yard line. Jalen Buckley scored on the next play.

Like so many drives throughout the game, Ohio’s next possession was halted near midfield. After a punt, Western Michigan ran down the clock from 10:21 to 2:47 before Palmer Domschke missed his second field goal try of the game, this one wide left from 37 yards out.

A holding penalty doomed the Bobcats’ chances to score the winning touchdown, and Parker Navarro was sacked on third down, leading to a fourth-and-20. Navarro’s deep pass attempt was well off the mark.

A slight miscalculation by Western Michigan ended up giving Ohio one more longshot possession. The Broncos took three straight knees and did not take the play clock all the way down on the final one, after which the Bobcats called their final timeout with 22 seconds still left.

Lowry scrambled on the fourth-down play all the way to the 2-yard line, but it still resulted in a turnover on downs with 16 seconds left. Navarro picked up 23 yards and got out of bounds and then threw a quick 13-yard sideline pass to Rodney Harris II to move the ball out to the Ohio 38.

On the final play with three seconds to go, Parker completed a short pass to Caleb Gossett, who lateraled back to Sieh Bangura. Once he was surrounded, he tried to toss the ball backward, but it went out of bounds to end the game.

There were only two possessions in the third quarter. The Broncos took the lead on a Lowry 1-yard touchdown run at the 10:50 mark, and then the Bobcats answered with a nearly 11-minute drive.

Bangura got 2 yards on third-and-1 at midfield for the first third down conversion of the night by either team. Navarro rushed for 10 yards to convert a fourth-and-3 and then Bangura got 2 yards on third-and-1 to move the ball inside the 10.

Three straight 3-yard runs got Ohio into the end zone to finish the 17-play, 83-yard drive. The extra point missed, leaving it at 13-10. But thanks to Williams’ big play, the lead did not last long.

There was little offense in the first half. Domschke connected on a 46-yard field goal on Western Michigan’s after a Navarro interception, and the score remained 3-0 until near the end of the first quarter when Navarro scored on a 2-yard run, making it 7-3.

The Broncos missed on a chance to cut into the deficit when Domschke’s chip-shot 26-yard field goal attempt was missed off the left upright. Western Michigan later had a turnover on downs when Lowry was stuffed by Nehemiah Dukes for no gain at Ohio’s 34.

Navarro rushed for 105 yards on 18 carries but completed just 8 of 19 passes for 70 yards. Bangura had 16 carries for 97 yards.

Also a dual-threat quarterback, Lowry was 9-of-14 passing for 126 yards, with most of those coming on the one completion. He also rushed 18 times for 92 yards, and Buckley added 82 yards on 14 carries.

Western Michigan did not convert any third downs in the game.

The result puts the Broncos on top of the MAC, with Buffalo and Miami at 4-1. Ohio closes the season against the Bulls but will need some additional help to finish in the top two and earn a spot in the MAC Championship Game.

Ohio will try to bounce back again winless UMass at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Peden Stadium.