Pinstripe Bowl, Pitt vs Northwestern: Highlights, score and recap
Recapping Wednesday’s 2016 Pinstripe Bowl between the Pittsburgh Panthers and Northwestern Wildcats from Yankee Stadium.
The Northwestern Wildcats offense came alive in a 31-24 victory over the Pittsburgh Panthers on Wednesday afternoon in another thrilling edition of the Pinstripe Bowl.
Pittsburgh featured one of the more explosive offenses in the nation during the regular season and averaged over 42 points per game. While Pittsburgh moved the ball effectively, it only managed a field goal in the first quarter thanks to a Northwestern goal line stand and later Godwin Igwebuike interception inside the 10.
Meanwhile, Northwestern’s offense got rolling early in the second with a strong rushing attack against the shaky Pittsburgh rush defense. Justin Jackson found the end zone twice before the 10 minute mark of the second quarter, giving the Wildcats a 14-3.
The Wildcats turned the ball over twice in Pittsburgh territory themselves in the first half and were unable to extend the advantage. Finally, the Panthers would connect on a splash play just before half on a 69 yard touchdown pass from Nathan Peterman to Jester Weah to make it a 14-10 game. Unfortunately, Pittsburgh lost star running back James Conner to a head injury before the break.
On the first play of the second half, Pittsburgh got the ball to dynamic playmaker Quadree Henderson on a fly sweep for a 57 yard gain, leading to a Peterman touchdown run and 17-14 lead. Jackson responded with his third touchdown of the day on a 40 yard run to cap off a 14 play drive, as the game really opened up.
Injuries continued to have an impact on Pittsburgh, as All-American left tackle Dorian Johnson left with an apparent leg injury on the next drive. A bad snap stalled the Panthers deep in Wildcats territory, and Pittsburgh missed the ensuing field goal to keep it at 21-17 with 3:18 left in the third.
Peterman was the next Panther to exit the game with an apparent head injury on a big hit. The Panthers’ special teams unit picked up the slack on the ensuing drive with a blocked punt, and backup quarterback Ben DiNucci gave the Panthers a 24-21 lead with 14 minutes to go on a short touchdown pass to fullback George Aston.
Quarterback Clayton Thorson used an effective short passing game on the next drive to lead Northwestern down the field, and found Garrett Dickerson for a 21 yard touchdown on fourth and two, the second conversion of the possession. Henderson fumbled on the next play, and Northwestern took advantage with a field goal to go up 31-24 with 6:17 left.
Pittsburgh stalled on fourth down in the red zone once again due to a dropped pass in the end zone, but forced a three-and-out to get the ball back with two minutes remaining. DiNucci was picked off early by Kyle Queiro in the drive to seal Northwestern’s 31-24 win, the third bowl victory in school history.
While the injuries killed Pittsburgh’s chances in the second half, it still gave up 463 yards to a shaky Northwestern offense and failed to score on four different drives in Wildcats territory.
Highlights
Three Stars
3. Quadree Henderson, WR, Pittsburgh Panthers. Helped the Pittsburgh offense keep in the game without its starting quarterback, running back or left guard, piling up 121 total yards on nine touches.
2. Godwin Igwebuike, S, Northwestern. Top playmaker for Northwestern offense recorded a forced fumble and interception to hold the Panthers explosive offense.
1. Justin Jackson, RB, Northwestern. Set a new Pinstripe Bowl record with 224 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 32 carries.
Next Season
Pat Narduzzi looks to be building a Pittsburgh program that could be competing for an ACC Coastal title next year, while the Wildcats will have a good chance to reach a third consecutive bowl game with Clayton Thorson and Justin Jackson returning.