Central Michigan’s lopsided bowl loss vs. Northwestern leaves sour taste, doesn’t obscure bigger picture

Detroit — A fourth down stop four plays into the GameAbove Sports Bowl, as it turned out, might’ve been the high water mark for Central Michigan. 

Kicking off to open the game, CMU sent out its defense against Northwestern, and quickly faced a 4th and 1 at the NU 34. The Wildcats opted to be bold and go for it, only to be stuffed by senior linebacker Jordan Kwiatkowski, who blew up the play for a short loss. CMU had stolen a possession early, already in scoring position. Cade Graham came out for a 43-yard field goal attempt — and missed. 

“Then we go three-and-out, three-and-out, force a punt and then we turn the ball over literally three times in a row on three plays,” head coach Matt Drinkall said postgame. “... So it just went from such a really good defensive performance right away to the offense — you're putting the defense in a tough spot. And it happened three consecutive snaps.”

A stalemate in the opening 20 minutes of the GameAbove Sports Bowl gave way to a rapid unspooling for Central Michigan (7-6, 5-3 MAC) as three turnovers on consecutive offensive plays in the second quarter led to a trio of Northwestern (7-6, 4-5 Big Ten) touchdowns in a 34-7 loss at Ford Field on Boxing Day. A fumble and scoop-and-score for the Wildcats early in the third quarter merely added insult to injury. 

But at the conclusion of a seven-win season that saw Central Michigan’s football program feeling a sense of renewal, a lopsided loss didn’t crowd out the bigger picture. 

“Sour taste but looking back a year ago when we didn't even know where this thing was going to go and you just really reflect and you've just gotta be grateful,” Kwiatkowski said. “A lot of the outsiders, they doubted us. They weren't even expecting us to win five games. So for us to do this with these seniors and these guys and kind of help Coach Drinkall and the staff and this university, a good kick start for the future of this program, there's nothing better.”

The smaller picture on Friday, though, involved CMU committing an uncharacteristic four turnovers. 

Prior to Friday, Central Michigan had 12 turnovers on the season, six interceptions and six fumbles lost. It served as a major reason for the Chippewas success in 2025, as the defense complemented that by being a takeaway-happy unit all year. Central Michigan lost the turnover battle 4-1 on Friday. 

Along with the turnovers being out of character they happened, seemingly, all at once. The first came as Flores rolled right and faced immediate pressure, lobbing an ill-advised pass that a Northwestern defender scraped off the turf. 

Northwestern scored a touchdown three plays later, covering 29 yards as Griffin Wilde caught a perfectly placed corner/fade from Preston Stone on the left edge of the end zone. 

On the first play of the ensuing drive, CMU QB Joe Labas stood in the pocket and pump faked when a defender dislodged the ball for a sack fumble the Wildcats recovered. 

Northwestern scored six plays later, covering 18 yards and surviving a goal line fumble before punching it in on 4th and goal. 

To start the next possession, Labas kept on a zone read look and immediately coughed up the football, which a Wildcat defender fell on. 

Northwestern scored a touchdown one play later, covering 23 yards with a strike from Stone to tight end Lawson Albright, all alone by the front right pylon of the end zone. 

In the span of 4:30 of game clock, Northwestern turned a tie game into a 21-0 lead, and Drinkall brought his offense together in a huddle on the sideline. 

“And you're kind of looking around and realize like, 'What happened?'” Drinkall said. “So when I brought the offense together, it was mostly — there is no point in complaining about what happened the previous play or the second play of the game. That's what would be very easy to do. Start having infighting, so it was just a little bit of clarification. Those guys did such a great job of battling and staying resilient.”

The lacking offensive execution scuttled what was shaping up to be a stalwart defensive performance and a potential capper to a season that exceeded expectations in 2025. 

But whatever bitter taste exists after Friday, it won’t overshadow the transformation of CMU football in Drinkall’s first season. 

The Chippewas weren’t projected to go to a bowl or even finish in the top half of the MAC. A first-time FBS head coach was at the helm. 

And after posting the first above-.500 season at Central Michigan since 2021, Friday’s flop stings. Because now, after this past year, the Chippewas know they’re capable of much better. 

“If you'd have told us a year ago, I was just talking with them in the hallway about this: To knock out seven wins and get to be playing after Christmas in a bowl game in Ford Field is a pretty good situation,” Drinkall said.