Anyone who believes Saturday’s game against Central Michigan will be an easy game for Northwestern should take a look at the Chippewas’ performance against Michigan State last season.
In that game, Central Michigan marched into East Lansing, Mich. and stunned the Spartans 29-27, triumphing on a last-second 42-yard field goal.
The previous season, they stormed into Bloomington, Ind. and defeated the Hoosiers 37-34. Those two wins, combined with a near-victory at Purdue in 2008, show that Central Michigan can compete on a consistent basis against Big Ten opposition.
“It’s a formidable opponent, not an easy win by any means,” junior safety Brian Peters said. “We’re facing a strong offense. They’ve beaten two Big Ten teams in the past two years, and they’re looking to do it again. We’ve got to put those thoughts to sleep.”
The Cats are averaging 30 points a game this season, but their offense struggled in the first half of last weekend’s game against Rice. Central Michigan will provide an apt test for the Cats, as the Chippewas are allowing nine points per game, the fourth-best total in the country.
“Real strong defense,” junior running back Jacob Schmidt said. “Front seven is great. They’ve got two, three linebackers that have been playing together for a couple years. Just solid, solid linebackers. We’re going to have to do everything we can to run the ball on them.”
As coach Pat Fitzgerald pointed out in his Monday press conference, the Chippewas have yet to give up a point in the first and fourth quarters.
With its defense leading the way, Central Michigan is off to a fairly good start this season. They crushed Hampton and Eastern Michigan by a combined score of 85-14. Their only loss was in overtime at Temple, who remains unbeaten on the season and made it to the EagleBank Bowl last season.
On offense, Central Michigan running back Paris Cotton is coming off of an outstanding effort, in which he rushed for 209 yards on 21 carries and notched three touchdowns against Eastern Michigan.
Meanwhile, quarterback Ryan Radcliff comes off a fine performance in which he completed 65 percent of his passes and tossed two touchdowns.
Radcliff has had the unenviable task of trying to fill Dan LeFevour’s shoes. LeFevour led the Chippewas to bowl games in all four of his playing years, and now wears a Cincinnati Bengals uniform.
“I know Dan (LeFevour) got drafted,” Fitzgerald said, “But Ryan has picked right up where he left off. Each game he gets more and more comfortable.”
Central Michigan has established somewhat of a dynasty in the Mid-American Conference, winning the MAC Championship three out of the last four years. Last season, they went 12-2, beat Ohio in the MAC Championship game and followed that with a double-overtime win over Troy in the GMAC Bowl.
“It’s name recognition,” Peters said. “You don’t hear Central Michigan in the big polls, but they’re a great team, a championship-caliber team, the MAC champions three out of the last four years. We know that and that’s all that matters. We respect them, we will prepare for them as hard as we do every other week.”
Saturday’s match will conclude a three-game road trip for the Chippewas. Central Michigan’s last three losses have come away from home.
“They’re not just going to come down our house and lay down and let us run all over them,” sophomore safety Hunter Bates said. “They’re going to come in fired up. They’re playing Big Ten football. They’re going to give us all they got because they’re going to compete.
