DETROIT — In a trip to the winter wonderland of Champaign, Ill., Northwestern’s time in the snow was anything but the fairytale ending it had been searching for to conclude its tumultuous regular season.
After keeping a clean slate for over a month, graduate student quarterback Preston Stone turned the ball over four times, something he hadn’t done since the team’s season-opening disaster in the bayou. His top target, junior wide receiver Griffin Wilde, was held below 30 yards.
Out of sorts and rhythm, the pair that had gotten NU to this point was far from where it wanted to be.
However, there was one silver lining. Their season wasn’t over just yet.
In the final game of Stone’s collegiate career, the Wildcats (7-6, 4-5 Big Ten) cashed in on their bowl eligibility to play Central Michigan in the GameAbove Sports Bowl. With one final opportunity to end their up-and-down year on a good note, Stone and Wilde rose to the occasion, carrying the offense in a 34-7 victory against the Chippewas (7-6, 5-3 MAC).
“This team has been really good about riding the ups and downs of this year,” Stone said. “I think it speaks to the culture we have in our locker room, guys being resilient and playing for each other.”
Early on, their chance for redemption looked far from certain.
With the game still scoreless midway through the first quarter, Stone fired an ill-placed pass to Wilde over the middle, and his star receiver got hammered by a Chippewa defender trying to make the catch. Wilde stayed down, eventually walking off on his power and heading to the medical tent.
A quick three-and-out from Central Michigan handed the ball right back to the ’Cats, giving Wilde enough time to be cleared by the medical staff and rejoin Stone in the huddle. Despite the shaky start, the duo soon found their footing and, with a little help from the defense, put on a show for all who made the trip to Detroit.
Four minutes into the game’s second quarter, Wilde matched the 28 yards he mustered versus Illinois with his fourth catch of the half. On Stone’s next pass, he opened the scoring at Ford Field with a diving 23-yard touchdown catch.
The South Dakota State transfer, lying on his back in the Honolulu Blue endzone, threw his arms up in celebration, exasperated. After being helped up by his teammates, he found Stone and the two celebrated together on their way to the sideline.
From there, it was all smiles.
Always one to show his emotions on his sleeve, Stone dialed it up a notch in his final collegiate football game.
The ’Cats’ signal caller ran onto the field after extra-point attempts to celebrate with his lineman, and when redshirt junior defensive back Braden Turner returned a fumble for a touchdown in the third quarter, Stone didn’t even let him get back to the sideline before flying up to chest bump him.
As the lead continued to grow, the pair’s success cut into their waning time together. Stone called upon Wilde once more to push the lead to 34-0, but after a pass between the two fell harmlessly to the turf to open the fourth quarter, they never got the chance to link up again.
Coach David Braun said postgame that he made sure to notify his seniors before their final drive that they would be pulled, allowing them to take it all in one last time. That series would end up being Stone’s last.
With him and Wilde watching the game’s final moments from the sidelines, the two had already put their fingerprints all across the box score.
Wilde’s final marks — 10 catches for 97 yards and two touchdowns — earned him the bowl’s Most Valuable Player honors. Stone’s 226 yards and three scores placed him not far behind.
Once the clock showed all zeroes, the entire NU team made its way onto the field for the bowl’s final festivities. Looking down from the podium wheeled out to midfield, Stone and Wilde ended their season on a high.
Beyond what the pair accomplished between the white lines, Stone and Wilde’s bond led the way for NU, and the two made the most of their time reveling in the camaraderie they helped form with their teammates on that stage.
As the game’s adrenaline began to fade, life on the mountaintop turned bittersweet. For Stone and many of Braun’s seniors, they would be taking off their jerseys for the last time.
Surrounded by teammates and trophies in the postgame ceremony, both Stone and Wilde couldn’t be found without a grin from ear to ear. A few moments later in the media room, it seemed that the gravity of the situation had sunk in.
“Preston’s a special guy to me,” Wilde said. “To see him walk away from college football, it’s definitely sad. But to see him walk away as a winner — we’re very glad that we could do that for him and all the seniors.”
Across the table, Stone fielded a few questions of his own, laboring on each word and choosing them with care. While his time at NU was short, his sole season in Evanston had quite the impact both on himself and his teammates, and he made sure to let those in the room know.
“This has been one of the best years of my life,” Stone said. “I couldn’t be more grateful for the way these guys have welcomed me. I was only here for a year, but these are going to be my brothers for the rest of my life.”
Email: [email protected]
X: @aboyko_nu
Related Stories:
— Rapid Recap: Northwestern 34, Central Michigan 7
— Football: Northwestern to play Central Michigan in GameAbove Sports Bowl
