Northwestern adds Western Michigan to 2013 Football Schedule

By Kevin Kelley -

Northwestern WildcatsThe Northwestern Wildcats have added the Western Michigan Broncos to their 2013 football schedule, the school announced today.

Northwestern will host Western Michigan at Ryan Field in Evanston on Sept. 14, 2013. The game will be the first ever meeting between the two schools.

“We’re looking forward to welcoming Coach Cubit and the Broncos to Ryan Field for the first time next September,” said Northwestern head coach Pat Fitzgerald. “Coach has been a great friend for a long time and he runs a very successful program we have the utmost respect for.”

The matchup with Western Michigan replaces a previously scheduled trip to Vanderbilt on the same date. Vanderbilt notified Northwestern in writing recently that they were canceling both the 2013 and 2014 games.

Northwestern will now have three non-conference home games and seven home games overall in 2013. The Wildcats open at California, then host Syracuse, Western Michigan, and Maine.

Big Ten home games include Ohio State, Minnesota, Michigan, and Michigan State. Northwestern will travel to face Wisconsin, Iowa, Nebraska, and Illinois.

For Western Michigan, the Northwestern matchup is their third scheduled against a Big Ten member for 2013. The Broncos are also set to play at Michigan State and Iowa.

Football Schedules