Football Game Preview: Clover Blue Eagles vs. Northwestern Trojans

Clover is 1-8 against Northwestern since October of 2015 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Friday. The Blue Eagles will be playing at home against the Trojans at 7:30 p.m.

On Friday, Clover was just a hair shy of victory and fell 26-25 to Fort Mill. That's two games in a row now that the Blue Eagles have lost by just one point.

Frederick Babel put forth a good effort for the losing side as he picked up 134 receiving yards and two TDs.

Meanwhile, Northwestern humbled Catawba Ridge with a 56-20 victory. The result was nothing new for the Trojans, who have now won four games by 20 points or more so far this season.

Clover better keep an eye on Xavier Means. He was instrumental in Northwestern's win, throwing for 204 yards and a pair of touchdowns while completing 82.4% of his passes, and also rushing for 64 yards and one score on only five carries.

Northwestern was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 239 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 159 rushing yards every time they've taken the field this season.

One reason for the win was Northwestern's imposing defense, which managed to get into the backfield for three sacks. Malik Darby was particularly dangerous to the passing game, picking up two himself. Kamerin McFadden got in on the action too, converting a pick into a touchdown.

Northwestern's victory bumped their record up to 5-1. As for Clover, their defeat dropped their record down to 3-3.

Clover was taken down by Northwestern 57-23 in their previous matchup back in October of 2024. Thankfully for the Blue Eagles, Finley Polk (who threw for 319 yards and four TDs while completing 72.4% of his passes, and also rushed for 63 yards and three scores) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.