Pittsburgh vs. Northwestern: Score and Reaction for 2016 Pinstripe Bowl

In a game that featured five lead changes, the Northwestern Wildcats held off the Pittsburgh Panthers 31-24 to win the 2016 Pinstripe Bowl to earn the program's third postseason victory ever.  

Pitt came in to the bowl game on fire with three straight wins, including a victory over Clemson, and averaging 58.3 points per game during this stretch. 

After an uneventful first quarter that saw one field goal, both teams came to life. Northwestern got going thanks to a critical defensive stop when it stuffed Pitt running back James Conner at the goal line on fourth down. 

ESPN's Rachel Nichols captured a snapshot of the pileup of that fourth-down play at the end zone showing the Wildcats' defensive stand:

The Wildcats proceeded to go 99 yards in 10 plays to take a 7-3 lead thanks to the legs of Justin Jackson. The junior running back had 96 yards on the drive, including a 68-yard scamper on the second play to get his team out of its own end zone. 

ESPN's J.A. Adande offered this assessment of Northwestern's defensive stand and subsequent touchdown drive:

Jackson has been rolling late in the season, running for 390 yards in the last three regular-season games and carried that into the Pinstripe Bowl with 224 yards and three touchdowns on 32 carries.

Per ESPN Stats & Info, this was Jackson's first career 200-yard rushing game. ESPN's Mike Greenberg, who graduated from Northwestern, enjoyed seeing what Jackson did in the spotlight:

Saturday Tradition offered a visual look at what Jackson was doing to Pitt's defense throughout the game:

Northwestern needed Jackson to dominate the way he did because the rest of the offense was vanilla. Quarterback Clayton Thorson threw for 214 yards on 36 attempts with one touchdown and one interception, yet the Wildcats were able to control the ball for 35 minutes. 

Pitt kept hanging around and grabbed a 17-14 lead with its first drive of the second half that was set up by Quadree Henderson's 57-yard run on the first play after the kickoff. 

Northwestern followed with a response of its own on the subsequent drive, with Jackson scoring his third touchdown of the game on a 40-yard run. 

Both defenses would tighten up the rest of the third quarter, though special teams would play an integral role. Pitt kicker Chris Blewitt missed a 43-yard field goal, giving Northwestern possession on its own 25-yard line. 

The Wildcats would go three-and-out on their possession, setting up for a punt on fourth down that Chawntez Moss blocked to give Pitt the ball back deep in Northwestern territory with another opportunity to take the lead. 

Six plays later, quarterback Ben DiNucci scored on a six-yard pass from George Aston. DiNucci was under center because Nathan Peterman was knocked out of the game after taking a huge hit on a botched snap. 

Northwestern, as it did throughout the game, had a response to Pitt taking the lead. Macan Wilson made the key play on the drive with a five-yard reception on 4th-and-3 to keep the Wildcats moving down the field. 

Fourth down played a critical role in the game for Northwestern, as later on the same drive Thorson hit Garrett Dickerson on 4th-and-1 for a 21-yard score to put the Wildcats back on top. 

Barstool's Dan Katz used a popular Bill Raftery saying to describe what Northwestern head coach Pat Fitzgerald was doing in this game:

Pitt would be undone by a turnover on the first play of its next drive when Henderson fumbled and Tyler Lancaster got the ball back for Northwestern, though it would be limited to a field goal for a 31-24 lead. 

DiNucci showed off his skills on Pitt's next drive, squeezing between two Northwestern defenders on 3rd-and-7 for 16 yards to keep the ball moving.

The Panthers literally had the tying score in their hands when DiNucci hit tight end Scott Orndoff in the end zone only to have the ball knocked out when he was hit by multiple Northwestern defenders. The Wildcats would hold on fourth down when Jared McGee picked off DiNucci. 

Northwestern would seal the victory when DiNucci threw his second interception of the game, this time to Kyle Queiro with 82 seconds remaining. 

Per ESPN's Chris Fallica, being an underdog has led to positive results this bowl season:

Fitzgerald didn't get a great overall performance from his team in 2016, but it was able to overcome an 0-2 start and won two of its last three games to become bowl-eligible. 

Since Fitzgerald took over in 2006, Northwestern has played in seven bowl games with two wins. Prior to his arrival, the program had six bowl appearances with one win from 1892 to 2005. 

No one is going to confuse Northwestern for Ohio State or Michigan in the Big Ten, but this is a program still establishing an identity and taking positive steps forward.

Postgame Reaction

Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi highlighted Northwestern's success on fourth down as the key difference in the game.

"Anytime you give an offense four downs, it almost should be illegal," he said, per Teddy Greenstein of the Chicago Tribune.

Northwestern seemed to get some good news after the win from Jackson, per Greenstein:

Fitzgerald couldn't hide his exuberance after his team's victory. 

"The way that we finished here, to beat a top 25 team in the way we did, I think it shows that the foundation is solid for the future," he said, per InsideNU.com.

Per InsideNU.com, Fitzgerald noted Northwestern would be staying in New York City for the evening to have some "good clean American fun."