DETROIT — Entering the GameAbove Sports Bowl on Friday allowing 20 or more points in five straight games, Northwestern capped off the year by defeating Central Michigan 34-7 with a dominant defensive performance.
The Wildcats (7-6, 4-5 Big Ten) forced four turnovers defensively — their second four-plus takeaway game of the season — including three on consecutive plays in the second quarter to take down the Chippewas (7-6, 5-3 MAC) and clinch their second bowl-winning season in three years under coach David Braun.
“For us to win and win the way that we did today is a reflection of our seniors and our guys in their preparation,” Braun said. “I’m just so honored and excited to send that group out the right way.”
After a scoreless first quarter, redshirt junior defensive back Braden Turner got the ball rolling with a diving interception on Central Michigan’s first drive of the second quarter. The ’Cats took over at the Chippewas’ 29-yard line, their best field position of the game through that point.
On the third play of the drive, graduate student quarterback Preston Stone hit junior wide receiver Griffin Wilde for a 23-yard touchdown. Wilde, who was named the game’s MVP, finished with a game-high ten receptions, 97 yards and two touchdowns.
On Central Michigan’s next play, graduate student defensive end Aidan Hubbard strip-sacked quarterback Joe Labas, and graduate student defensive tackle Carmine Bastone recovered the fumble. Hubbard, who missed the last two games of the regular season with an injury, tied his career high with a three-sack performance in his final collegiate game.
The ’Cats took over inside the red zone, and redshirt sophomore running back Caleb Komolafe finished off a six-play drive with a two-yard rushing touchdown. On Central Michigan’s next snap, Labas fumbled again, and junior defensive end Michael Kilbane recovered NU’s third takeaway in as many plays.
“The game went from a battle back-and-forth to all of a sudden now it’s 21-0 a handful of snaps later,” said Central Michigan coach Matt Drinkall. “We were looking and realizing, ‘what happened?’”
On the next play, Stone found graduate student tight end Lawson Albright for a 23-yard touchdown to give the ’Cats a 21-0 lead entering halftime.
NU scored 27 points off turnovers, exceeding its regular-season total of 15. Stone touted the defense’s hustle and execution to force turnovers and set up the offense with scoring opportunities.
“The defense had TNT going on all day and made our job a lot easier,” Stone said.
Five plays into the second half, the ’Cats pounced one more time. Central Michigan quarterback Angel Flores rushed into a crowd of NU defenders, with graduate student linebacker Mac Uihlein knocking the ball loose. Turner scooped up the fumble, racing 47 yards to the end zone.
With turnovers piling up in the second and third quarters, Turner credited the budding energy on defense for allowing him to return the first defensive touchdown of NU’s season.
“With the help of my teammates, it kind of comes easy,” Turner said. “With the pressure that the D-line gives us and then without the blocks from them, I wouldn’t be able to score. So it’s really a testament to the whole defense and what we worked on throughout the whole year.”
NU’s defense pitched nearly 54 minutes of shutout football before the Chippewas broke through with a late touchdown.
For the first time since 2020, the ’Cats allowed less than 20 points per game. Defensive coordinator Tim McGarigle’s unit finished the year allowing 19.8 points per game, seventh-best in the Big Ten and a step up from last year’s 26.3 point average.
After cementing a winning season and extending its bowl win streak to six, Braun emphasized the program’s development towards its goal of competing at the top of college football.
“Like we’re seeing out of Indiana right now, or what we saw out of Vanderbilt, why can’t that be the ‘Cats?” Braun said. “There’s a lot of work to do … We are far from perfect, but we are progressing.”
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