DETROIT — Preston Stone threw three touchdown passes, and Northwestern turned four turnovers into touchdowns to beat Central Michigan 34-7 in the GameAbove Sports Bowl on Friday at Ford Field.
The Wildcats (7-6) extended their bowl-game winning streak to six. They haven’t lost in the postseason since a 45-6 loss to Pittsburgh in the 2015 Outback Bowl.
Central Michigan (7-6) is 0-3 against the Big Ten in bowl games, with all three losses coming at Ford Field. The Chippewas lost 51-48 to Purdue in the 2007 Motor City Bowl and 21-14 to Minnesota in the 2015 Quick Lane Bowl.
“If you look back on our preparation over the course of the last month and the way our guys operate, I couldn’t have been more confident,” Northwestern coach David Braun said, according to NUSports.com. “For us to win and win the way that we did today is a reflection of our seniors, our guys in their preparation, and just so honored and excited to send that group off the right way.”
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Central Michigan had the first scoring opportunity after stopping Northwestern on fourth-and-1 at the Wildcats 34, but Cade Graham missed a 43-yard field-goal attempt.
The game was still scoreless midway through the second quarter when Northwestern cornerback Braden Turner intercepted Angel Flores’ pass at the Central Michigan 29. Three plays later, Stone threw a 23-yard touchdown pass to Griffin Wilde to give the Wildcats a 7-0 lead.
Wilde, who had 10 receptions for 97 yards and two TDs, was named the game’s MVP. He finished 2025 with 71 receptions and 880 yards, both of which rank ninth in a season in program history, according to Northwestern.
Joe Labas, the other half of Central Michigan’s quarterbacking duo, fumbled on the first play after the kickoff to give Northwestern the ball on the Chippewas 18. Caleb Komolafe scored on a 2-yard run to put Northwestern ahead 14-0.
Flores fumbled on first down, giving Central Michigan turnovers on three straight plays. Stone hit Lawson Albright for a 23-yard touchdown on the next play — Northwestern’s third touchdown in a span of 3:02.
“This has been one of the best years of my life,” said Stone, who finished 19-for-31 for 226 yards. “Couldn’t be more grateful for the way these guys have welcomed me as a new guy. Very thankful to Coach Braun and Coach (Zach) Lujan for how much they’ve trusted me and how they gave me the keys to run this offense.”
Flores fumbled for the second time on Central Michigan’s first drive of the second half, and Turner returned it 47 yards for a touchdown. Jack Olsen missed the extra-point attempt to leave the score at 27-0. Stone hit Wilde for another touchdown in the quarter to make it 34-0.
“To see (Preston) walk away from college football, it’s definitely sad,” Wilde said. “But to see him walk away as a winner, we’re really glad that we could do that for him and all the seniors.”
Northwestern defensive end Aidan Hubbard, who returned after missing two games with an injury, had a career-high-tying three sacks, setting a program record for a bowl game and giving him 20.5 in his career. He became the fifth player in program history with at least 20 career sacks, according to NU.
“It was very frustrating missing those last two games of the season, but I just stayed the course, took it day by day, trying to get healthy, and coming here and playing with my teammates was special,” Hubbard said.
Central Michigan avoided the shutout when Labas hit Brock Townsend for a 3-yard touchdown pass with 6:11 to play.
Braun became the first coach in program history to win his first two bowl games and joined Pat Fitzgerald as the only NU coaches to win multiple bowl games.
“Regardless of the outcome of this game, this group of seniors is leaving a legacy within this program that will have ripple effects for years to come,” Braun said. “Part of the tangible legacy (is being the) eighth team in Northwestern football history to win a bowl championship.”
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Takeaways
Central Michigan: The Chippewas turned the ball over four times — three fumbles and an interception — in 12 plays spanning the second and third quarters. They picked up only one first down in that sequence.
Northwestern: The Wildcats scored four touchdowns with an average drive length of 17.5 yards, including Turner’s fumble-return touchdown. Their two longest drives in the first half — 48 and 44 yards — both ended in punts.
Up next
Central Michigan: Build an offense. Coach Matt Drinkell built an outstanding defense in his first season after six years as an assistant at Army, but the Chippewas finished 93rd in scoring offense (23.8 points per game) and 107th in yards per game (335.7). On Friday, they were overmatched against Big Ten opposition.
Northwestern: Find some playmakers in the transfer portal. It wasn’t a problem Friday, thanks to the turnovers, but the Wildcats didn’t put together a sustained scoring drive until late in the third quarter. Central Michigan has a great MAC defense, but Northwestern struggled to average 3 yards on the ground.
Tribune news services contributed.