W. Michigan 44, Cent. Michigan 14

Published Sep. 17, 2011 5:10 p.m. ET

foxsports

Alex Carder passed for 355 yards and three touchdowns and ran for another score, and Western Michigan cruised to a 44-14 victory Saturday over Central Michigan in the Mid-American Conference opener for both teams.

Carder threw passes of 8 yards to Jordan White and 4 yards to Chleb Ravenell in the first quarter. In the third, he scored on a 2-yard run and found White again for a 19-yard touchdown. Carder completed 28 of 37 passes, with one interception, and White had a career-high 177 yards on 13 receptions.

Ryan Radcliff was 20 for 36 for 215 yards for the Chippewas (1-2), who had beaten Western Michigan (2-1) in the teams' previous five meetings. Tim Phillips ran for 84 yards, including a 28-yard score, and Jahleel Addae recovered a fumble in the end zone for the other Central Michigan touchdown.

John Potter kicked three field goals for Western Michigan.