Sports · Mid-Michigan
Central Michigan hosts Western Michigan Saturday in the Victory Cannon rivalry
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. — Central Michigan hosts in-state rival Western Michigan on Saturday afternoon for the Victory Cannon, the 97th meeting in a series that dates to 1907.
Kickoff is 1:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 17, at Kramer/Deromedi Field at Kelly/Shorts Stadium, according to both athletic departments. The game airs on ESPN+. Western Michigan leads the all-time series 54-40-2. CMU is 17-7-1 against the Broncos in MAC home games in Mount Pleasant since 1975 and last beat Western here 16-14 on Nov. 19, 2024. Western answered with a 24-21 win in Kalamazoo last Nov. 1.
Central Michigan enters 3-3 overall and 1-1 in the Mid-American Conference after a 31-14 loss at Ohio, bouncing back from a 41-17 home win over Akron. The Chippewas are 3-0 at home this season and have won eight of their last nine games at Kelly/Shorts. Quarterback Angel Flores leads the MAC in rushing with 501 yards, CMU said.
Western Michigan is 4-2 and 2-0 in the MAC after holding Kent State to seven points. The Broncos have won 11 of the last 15 meetings with CMU. Redshirt junior quarterback Broc Lowry threw for a career-high 257 yards and three touchdowns against Kent State, Western said, and running back Jalen Buckley added his 11th career 100-yard game.
Saturday’s winner takes the Victory Cannon Trophy, created in 2008 for the schools’ ROTC cannon tradition. Western has held it 11 times to Central’s seven, per Western’s game notes. The result also opens the Michigan MAC Trophy race among CMU, Eastern Michigan and Western. Central still plays Eastern at Ford Field on Nov. 4; Western plays Eastern on Nov. 17.
Sources:
Central Michigan Athletics / Greg Hotchkiss, “News & Notes: Chippewas Host Western Michigan Saturday in Annual Battle for the Victory Cannon Trophy,” Oct. 13, 2026, https://cmuchippewas.com/news/2026/10/13/football-news-notes-chippewas-host-western-michigan-for-annual-battle-for-the-victory-cannon-game
Western Michigan Athletics / Kimberly Moss, “Broncos Head to Mount Pleasant for 97th Battle Against Central Michigan,” Oct. 15, 2026, https://wmubroncos.com/news/2026/10/15/football-broncos-head-to-mount-pleasant-for-97th-battle-against-central-michigan.aspx
Photo: PureMichiganChip, “Kelly Shorts Stadium.jpg,” Sept. 8, 2012, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/), cropped and color-adjusted, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kelly_Shorts_Stadium.jpg
More from Mid-Michigan
Sports · October 15, 2026
Ithaca, ranked No. 23 and still unbeaten, hosts Fowler in a non-conference game Friday
Ithaca is 7-0 and MaxPreps’ No. 23 team in Michigan. Fowler is 6-1. Kickoff is 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 16, in Ithaca.
Sports · October 15, 2026
Beal City hosts Pine River Friday in a Highland Conference game between 7-0 Aggies and 3-4 Bucks
Kickoff is 7 p.m. at Beal City High School, 3117 Elias Road in Mount Pleasant. Beal City is 7-0 and 5-0 in the Highland Conference; Pine River Area is 3-4 and 3-3 in league play, MaxPreps shows.
Michigan Travel · October 14, 2026
Clare’s Witch Project and a Mount Pleasant trunk-or-treat headline Saturday in Mid-Michigan
Camp Rotary’s hay-wagon haunt runs 7–10:15 p.m. for $9 ($8 online). Mount Pleasant First Church of Christ hosts an indoor Fall-le-lu-jah Trunk-or-Treat from 4 to 6 p.m.
Michigan Travel · October 14, 2026
Things to do in Mount Pleasant for Halloween: a free trunk-or-treat Oct. 23 and the downtown Pumpkin Promenade Oct. 30
Central Motorsports hosts a free trunk-or-treat Oct. 23. A week later, kids 12 and under trick-or-treat downtown at the city’s Pumpkin Promenade.