Northwestern blows out Central Michigan in GameAbove Sports Bowl

Halfway through the second quarter of Friday's GameAbove Sports Bowl between Northwestern and Central Michigan, the score was tied at 0-0 and the outcome was anyone's guess. 

That was until three consecutive Central Michigan turnovers and three straight Northwestern touchdown drives led to a 21-0 halftime advantage to the Wildcats that eventually turned into a 34-7 win. 

Northwestern led 34-0 after three quarters, with CMU getting on the board late in the fourth. 

A wild one-handed interception from Braden Turner began the second-quarter burst for Northwestern. The Chippewas then had a pair of one-play drives that ended in fumbles, leading to short fields for Northwestern. 

The second half began in similar fashion, with Turner recovering another CMU fumble and returning it for a touchdown that made it 27-0 and all but ended the game. 

Preston Stone threw for 226 yards and three touchdowns for the Wildcats, while Griffin Wilde was his top target, hauling in 10 passes for 97 yards and a pair of TDs. Central Michigan's Joe Labbas threw for 178 yards and a touchdown in the game. 

Northwestern needed bounce-back win

The Wildcats (7-6) started 2025 5-2 before losing four of their final five regular-season games.

Friday's win serves as consolation for a squad that likely had bigger dreams than playing in a bowl game against a MAC team, but it's still momentum going into 2026. The victory is the sixth consecutive bowl win for Northwestern.

Meanwhile, Friday was the first time Central Michigan (7-6) had played in a bowl game since the 2021 Sun Bowl, in which they beat Washington State. The Chippewas ended the regular season with a 21-3 loss to Toledo on Nov. 29.