Preston Stone completed 19 of 31 passes for 226 yards and three scores, and Northwestern turned four takeaways into touchdowns during a 34-7 blowout of Central Michigan to win the GameAbove Sports Bowl on Friday in Detroit.
Braden Turner grabbed an interception before returning a fumble for a touchdown, while Aidan Hubbard had three sacks and a forced fumble as the Wildcats stymied the Chippewas’ offense for three-plus quarters.
Griffin Wilde hauled in 10 catches for 97 yards and a pair of TDs for Northwestern (7-6), which won its sixth consecutive bowl appearance.
“We set out to make sure that we finished what we started for these seniors, for this football team,” Northwestern coach David Braun said. “The preparation that our guys put in, awesome to see it come to fruition today.”
Joe Labas took most of the snaps for Central Michigan (7-6) and went 21-for-25 passing for 178 yards, one touchdown and two fumbles. Running back Brock Townsend ended the shutout bid with 6:11 to play on a 3-yard TD catch at the end of an 86-yard drive.
Cade Graham missed an early 43-yard field goal try for the Chippewas, but their defense limited the Wildcats to 15 yards on their first three drives.
It was Northwestern’s defense that turned the tide in the second quarter. First, CMU’s running package QB Angel Flores was under duress and attempted to throw the ball away, but Turner stretched out to make a one-handed interception.
Three plays later, Stone floated a 23-yard touchdown pass to Wilde to break the deadlock with 6:33 left in the first half.
On Central Michigan’s next play from scrimmage, Hubbard knocked the ball out of Labas’ hand in the pocket and Carmine Bastone recovered for Northwestern. On fourth-and-goal from the 2, Caleb Komolafe navigated his way into the end zone.
Again, Labas lost the football on the first play of the ensuing possession, this time on an RPO keeper. The very next play saw Stone hit Lawson Albright for another 23-yard TD connection.
The Chippewas began the second half with the ball and faced third-and-1 near midfield. Flores rushed up the middle for the first down but had the ball jarred loose. Turner spotted the ball, grabbed it, ran around one lineman and followed his blockers to the end zone, a 47-yard return. A missed PAT left it at 27-0.
Northwestern sealed the deal later in the third quarter with a 10-play, 92-yard drive ending in Stone’s 11-yard scoring throw to Wilde.
“(The win) builds momentum for next year, and it also shows that you can win with culture,” Braun said. “You can win with team. In an ever-changing world of college football, this stuff still matters and the fabric of a team still matters.”
