It's been three weeks since Northwestern's fifth victory of the season, a 19-0 shutout of Purdue on the lakefront. With three games left, the 'Cats need to get to six wins soon in order to become bowl eligible.

This weekend, the venue will be Wrigley Field, and the opponent will be the Michigan Wolverines. Ranked No. 18 in the nation, Michigan will be a tough team to beat, but Northwestern can do it if it controls the pace of the game.

Here are three keys for the Wildcats to get the upset win on Saturday:

Offensive line continues to dominate

The strength of this year's Northwestern team is its offensive line and its running game. The 'Cats have essentially been able to run it down every team's throats this year, and nobody has been able to stop them.

Unfortunately, Michigan may be uniquely positioned to do so. The Wolverines are the third best team in the Big Ten defending the run, allowing just 100.2 yards per game. Ohio State and Indiana, two likely College Football Playoff teams NU has not and will not play, are the only teams ahead of them.

If the big men up front -- Caleb Tiernan, Ezomo Oratokhai and co. -- come to play, Northwestern will be fine. But it's crucial that they're still able to run the football against an elite defensive front. Otherwise, it will be tough to win.

Win the turnover margin

I've been harping on this all season. Northwestern's offensive approach -- long drives that keep its defense off the field and tire out the opposing unit -- is dependent on not turning the ball over. The 'Cats are not built to play from behind. They're built to stay right with you and capitalize as soon as you make a mistake to take the lead.

That has to still be the game script against Michigan. Last weekend against USC, quarterback Preston Stone played a clean game, but Northwestern had two fumbles and lost the turnover battle. It was a big reason for the loss.

In previous weeks, I've put this on Stone. He still has to play clean football, but so does everyone around him.

Fan support

In any other venue, this would be a stupid point. But this weekend, it matters quite a bit.

There's a very solid chance that Wrigley Field is mobbed by Wolverine fans, and that's something the Wildcats should be anticipating. It isn't anyone's fault; it's just the reality of a large public school playing a private school. It's also Chicago, a city with plenty of Michigan alumni.

But Northwestern is going to need to get its fans into the game early. If it's a battle, there will be more energy on the NU side. If Michigan gets off to a fast start, then Wildcat cheers will be drowned out from the start.

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