On Sunday, the Northwestern football team (6-6, 4-5 B1G) learned that it will face off against the Central Michigan Chippewas (7-5, 5-3 MAC) on Dec. 26 at the GameAbove Sports Bowl. If you had not heard
of GameAbove before this weekend, not to fear – neither had I. Ford Field (the home of the Detroit Lions) was the location of the Quick Lane Bowl for a decade, until GameAbove became the event’s title sponsor. The GameAbove Bowl annually features a Big Ten team playing a Mid-American Conference squad.
Reactions to the Venue – Ford Field: Detroit, MI
Another game in frigid weather might have aggravated the issues that Illinois (8-4, 5-4 B1G) exposed in Northwestern’s squad on November 29. The climate in Champaign seemed to baffle the ‘Cats’ offense in their final regular season outing. Temperatures below freezing, constant snowfall in the first half and 22 mph winds posed a challenge to Preston Stone & Co.’s efforts for ball security.
Stone, for instance, fumbled a snap and tossed three interceptions against the Fighting Illini. However, two of those interceptions bounced off the hands of Wildcat receivers who struggled to grip the ball. As the offense had not lost three picks in a game in three full months, the weather may very well have been the differentiating factor.
Luckily, Ford Field is a domed stadium, so the ‘Cats have no excuses for suboptimal performance on the weather front. There will be no balmy Phoenix evenings for the ‘Cats this year, and no Vegas outings after the game is over for visiting alumni. But with the Ford Field dome rendering the weather in Detroit inconsequential, Northwestern’s offense should be able to get back to the form it showed against Minnesota – when Stone threw for 305 yards and two touchdowns.
Analyzing the Chippewas’ Season
Central Michigan earned its first winning season since 2021 this year and finished fifth in the MAC. After starting the season with a razor-tight 16-14 win over San Jose State (3-9, 2-6 MW), CMU never left the Midwest, playing one game in Pittsburgh, PA and the rest in Ohio or Michigan. CMU went 4-1 at home, notching its biggest win against Wagner (5-7, 4-3 NEC), 49-10 on September 20.
In that win, senior QB Joe Labas threw for a season-high three touchdowns, going 12-of-14 for 241 yards. The only other times Labas went over 200 yards were in a blowout win over Buffalo and a blowout loss to Toledo.
In their two games against teams from Power Four conferences, the Chippewas went 0-2, losing 45-17 to Pittsburgh (8-4, 6-2 ACC) and 63-3 to Michigan (9-3, 7-2 B1G). As Northwestern nearly beat Michigan this year, the Wildcats should feel good about their chances against CMU.
Key to the Game: What will NU’s attack look like?
The last time Northwestern played a bowl game in Michigan was all the way back in 2003 when the team lost the Motor City Bowl (predecessor to the Quick Lane Bowl), 28-24 to the Bowling Green Falcons. Can the ‘Cats even out the record 22 years later?
The greatest challenges for the ‘Cats should appear on offense. Stone has thrown 14 touchdowns to 12 interceptions this season, the second-worst TD-INT ratio in the Big Ten. He leads the conference in picks thrown this year and has the third-worst completion rate at 59.9%. As discussed earlier, the quarterback and receiving corps bear this burden together. Still, after Northwestern’s performance against the Fighting Illini, the ‘Cats faithful have to wonder how much this unit has really improved through 12 games.
On the ground, Northwestern may again be on its fifth-string running back. First-year back Robby Preckel was serviceable against Illinois, rushing 22 times for 82 yards. However, it would be unreasonable to expect him to play at the levels of NU’s usual starters Caleb Komolafe and Joseph Himon II, given Preckel’s limited experience. There is a chance that one or both lead backs return to play after a few weeks of rest, but until Northwestern knows for certain that they are, this unit remains a question mark.
The Chippewas, meanwhile, have not faced much adversity when it comes to opposing offensive pedigree this season, but they have been the class of the MAC on the defensive side. The star of the show is senior defensive lineman Michael Heldman, who is ninth in the nation in sacks (10.5). Second Team All-Big Ten honoree Caleb Tiernan and the rest of the offensive line will have their hands full keeping Heldman in check.
Behind Heldman in the middle of the field is senior linebacker Jordan Kwiatkowski, whose 105 combined tackles rank him 26th in the nation. With 12.5 tackles for loss, three forced fumbles and five pass breakups during the regular season, Kwiatkowski is poised to frustrate both the ‘Cats rushing and passing attacks.
The ‘Cats bowl appearance is scheduled for 12:00pm C.T. and will be broadcast on ESPN.
