Central Michigan University Athletics
Friday, December 26
Detroit, Mich./Ford Field
1:00 PM
Central Michigan University
vs
Northwestern
Photo by: Lauren Verellen '26 - @laurenverellen_photography
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Drinkall: 'it’s like, Big Ten, MAC, football in Michigan, in Detroit. It’s going to look and sound like a football game, I’ll promise you that'
DETROIT – Had enough family? Gift giving? Turkey and dressing?
Don't forget, there is a football game to play. And for most Chippewa fans, it's a relatively short drive to the warmth and coziness of Ford Field, where Central Michigan will take on Northwestern on Dec. 26 (1 p.m. ESPN) in the GameAbove Sports Bowl.
The Chippewas are 7-5 and are closing the book on a resurgent season under first-year coach Matt Drinkall.
CMU has already posted its highest win total since 2021, when it finished 9-4 and won the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl – the Chippewas' last bowl appearance.
True, it's the final game of the season for CMU and the final collegiate game for several key Chippewas players who have exhausted their eligibility. There's a reward in that for what unfolded as arguably a better-than-expected season.
The Chippewas finished fifth at 5-3 in the MAC and went into their final game, against Toledo, with an outside shot at a MAC Championship Game berth.
"We're headed in the right direction," Drinkall said. "There's building blocks here. We were picked preseason, I think ninth and 10th in the two polls (coaches and media) and then we're playing the last game of the regular season with a chance to go to the conference championship game.
"It's like we took over a big microscope or a telescope and all we really needed to do was clean or adjust a couple of the mirrors to get it going right. At least that's how we see it. The institution, the leadership and the people, are so supportive (and) so are our alums.
"It's just, all of it, been a very fun, rewarding first year. I think people see that we're trying really hard to do everything the right way. We had the highest team (grade point average) in school history in our first spring (semester) and we just shattered that in-season with what we just did in the fall. There's a lot of good people here fighting their butt off to do things the right way. I think we're having success as a result of that."
Drinkall and his staff have installed a run-first offense and it has, for the most part, paid off, particularly in light of the fact that it's the first year of his regime and the roster doesn't quite fit exactly what he might envision for his program in the long run.
The goal with such an offense is to keep the clock moving and keep the opposing team's offense sidelined. The Chippewas ranked fifth in the MAC in rushing yardage and, in what is perhaps the most important indicator of a successful run game, third in time of possession.
In Northwestern (6-6), CMU will see an opponent that has a somewhat similar philosophy. The Wildcats, who finished 4-5 in the Big Ten, run the ball 54 percent of the time, which ranks 51st among the 136 Football Bowl Subdivision teams.
The Chippewas, at 66.5 percent, are fifth. Only Army, Air Force, Navy and Rice rank ahead of CMU.
Northwestern has won its last five bowl games and six of its last seven dating to a 2013 Gator bowl victory over Mississippi State.
"The way coach (David) Braun gets these guys to run their football operation is unbelievable," Drinkall said. "They are disciplined, detailed, sound on everything that they do.
"We couldn't be more excited. You know, it's like, Big Ten, MAC, football in Michigan, in Detroit. It's going to look and sound like a football game, I'll promise you that."
Don't forget, there is a football game to play. And for most Chippewa fans, it's a relatively short drive to the warmth and coziness of Ford Field, where Central Michigan will take on Northwestern on Dec. 26 (1 p.m. ESPN) in the GameAbove Sports Bowl.
The Chippewas are 7-5 and are closing the book on a resurgent season under first-year coach Matt Drinkall.
CMU has already posted its highest win total since 2021, when it finished 9-4 and won the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl – the Chippewas' last bowl appearance.
True, it's the final game of the season for CMU and the final collegiate game for several key Chippewas players who have exhausted their eligibility. There's a reward in that for what unfolded as arguably a better-than-expected season.
The Chippewas finished fifth at 5-3 in the MAC and went into their final game, against Toledo, with an outside shot at a MAC Championship Game berth.
"We're headed in the right direction," Drinkall said. "There's building blocks here. We were picked preseason, I think ninth and 10th in the two polls (coaches and media) and then we're playing the last game of the regular season with a chance to go to the conference championship game.
"It's like we took over a big microscope or a telescope and all we really needed to do was clean or adjust a couple of the mirrors to get it going right. At least that's how we see it. The institution, the leadership and the people, are so supportive (and) so are our alums.
"It's just, all of it, been a very fun, rewarding first year. I think people see that we're trying really hard to do everything the right way. We had the highest team (grade point average) in school history in our first spring (semester) and we just shattered that in-season with what we just did in the fall. There's a lot of good people here fighting their butt off to do things the right way. I think we're having success as a result of that."
Drinkall and his staff have installed a run-first offense and it has, for the most part, paid off, particularly in light of the fact that it's the first year of his regime and the roster doesn't quite fit exactly what he might envision for his program in the long run.
The goal with such an offense is to keep the clock moving and keep the opposing team's offense sidelined. The Chippewas ranked fifth in the MAC in rushing yardage and, in what is perhaps the most important indicator of a successful run game, third in time of possession.
In Northwestern (6-6), CMU will see an opponent that has a somewhat similar philosophy. The Wildcats, who finished 4-5 in the Big Ten, run the ball 54 percent of the time, which ranks 51st among the 136 Football Bowl Subdivision teams.
The Chippewas, at 66.5 percent, are fifth. Only Army, Air Force, Navy and Rice rank ahead of CMU.
Northwestern has won its last five bowl games and six of its last seven dating to a 2013 Gator bowl victory over Mississippi State.
"The way coach (David) Braun gets these guys to run their football operation is unbelievable," Drinkall said. "They are disciplined, detailed, sound on everything that they do.
"We couldn't be more excited. You know, it's like, Big Ten, MAC, football in Michigan, in Detroit. It's going to look and sound like a football game, I'll promise you that."
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