Northwestern Flexed on Central Michigan: 5 GameAbove Sports Bowl Takeaways

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It took a quarter for Northwestern to get up to speed against Central Michigan in the GameAbove Sports Bowl.

Sputtering after a 0-0 first quarter, the Wildcats settled in, cranked up the offense, destroyed Central Michigan with takeaways, and won 34-7.

Here are five takeaways from the Big Ten’s blowout win.

Northwestern vs Central Michigan: Five Takeaways From a Blowout GameAbove Sports Bowl Win

Nov 7, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Northwestern Wildcats head coach David Braun watches game action against the Southern California Trojans during the first half at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.© Gary A&period; Vasquez-Imagn Images

5. Northwestern played like the Big Ten team

It took a quarter.

No, Northwestern doesn’t have the talent like of an Ohio State or an Oregon, but it’s a Power Four program, and it did exactly what it was supposed to do to a MAC team.

Central Michigan’s defense attacked, held down the Northwestern offense early on, and it kept the game exactly like it had to be.

And then, it was as if Northwestern remembered it was the Big Ten team.

The defensive line started generating pressure and forced a slew of mistakes, the offense shook off the rust, and that was that. Just two penalties, one garbage time turnover – it was a great performance.

4. Central Michigan brought the fight, but was overwhelmed

Northwestern turned up the defensive intensity, and that was it.

Central Michigan turned it over four times – a few were its own carelessness – and it couldn’t overcome the problems. Northwestern managed to take advantage of every opportunity and put it away in the second quarter, but lost in this was that the Chippewa defense showed up.

Northwestern gained just over 300 yards, and while it came up with one long scoring drive, this loss was mostly on the CMU offensive mistakes.

3. Northwestern knows bowl games

Northwestern went to one bowl game – the Rose Bowl in the 1948 season – in 101 years of playing college football, and lost.

Starting with the magical run to the Rose Bowl under Gary Barnett in 1995, the Wildcats lost nine straight bowls, and were 0-10 in these things until taking home the Gator Bowl in 2012.

Now it’s on a 7-1 run in bowl games and won six in a row over a ten-year span.

Northwestern has a great mix for the modern day bowl game world. It doesn’t go to the elite of the elite bowls, its players don’t opt out – and several could’ve from this year’s team – and the effort is always there.

2. What’s next for Central Michigan going into the offseason?

Blow off this bowl loss and how it got away from the Chippewas.

This was a good team under head coach Matt Drinkall – it was this close to playing for the MAC Championship. It loses quarterback Joe Labas, but all is fine if Angel Flores can stay healthy.

Just about everyone is expected to be back on the offense that started in the GameAbove Sports Bowl, and they’ll all need to be more explosive.

The defense isn’t starting over, but they’ll need an overhaul on the defensive front and in the linebacking corps.

With this coaching and the team’s style, though, it should be deep in the MAC Championship hunt.

1. What’s next for Northwestern going into the offseason?

Everything is looking up for the Wildcats.

They get to play in their shiny refurbished stadium next season, head coach David Braun has won two bowl games in the last three seasons, and they’re bringing in the right talent to be more than just a nice story.

They have to find the right quarterback next year to replace Preston Stone, but the backfield is strong, the offensive line has the depth to be okay, and the receiving corps should be terrific as long as Griffin Wilde is around.

Star pass rusher Aidan Hubbard is off to the NFL, but the rest of the defensive front will be a plus. There likely won’t be too many transfers to what should be the best defense yet under Braun.

This story was originally published by College Football News on Dec 26, 2025, where it first appeared in the College Football section. Add College Football News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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