Northwestern 31, Pittsburgh 24
Apparently, Pat Narduzzi's experience in defending against Northwestern while at Michigan State did not help his Panthers in New York. Northwestern won just their 3rd bowl game all-time, but used defense to hold off the Panthers late, recording a pair of 4th quarter INTs to seal the win for the Wildcats. The Panthers lost their 3rd consecutive bowl appearance.
Justin Jackson was a force for Northwestern, rushing for 224 yards a 3 of the 4 Northwestern TDs on the day.
Pitt had 3 chances to tie this game and even win, but turned the football over on each of their final 3 drives, cementing their loss to the Big 10 team that had just 6 wins coming and had lost to Illinois State earlier this season.
This was just the second win in a bowl for Northwestern, who had won their previous bowl in 2010. Prior to that win, the Wildcats had not won a bowl game since 1948.
Defensively for Northwestern, Matt Galambos racked up 15 tackles on the day to lead both teams.
Quadree Henderson had 156 total yards in the loss for Pitt. Nathan Peterman passed for 256 yards on only 13 completions on the game.
Clayton Thorson was efficient for Northwestern, completing 23/36 passes for 214 yards. The Wildcats did not get much help from their punting game, however, as Hunter Niswander averaged just 30 yards per punt on the day.
2017 Openers: Youngstown State at Pitt (9/2); Nevada at Northwestern (9/2)
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