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3 things to know for the New Era Pinstripe Bowl
Need a brief primer before you attempt to watch all 40 bowl games this season? We’ve got you covered. Here are three things you need to know about the New Era Pinstripe Bowl.
NEW ERA PINSTRIPE BOWL
Pittsburgh (8-4) vs. Northwestern (6-6)
Dec. 28, 2 p.m. ET
ESPN
— Pitt’s season was a whirlwind filled with ups and downs, but those ups were pretty triumphant. Nobody would have guessed when it happened, but the Panthers’ 42-39 win over Penn State in Week 2 likely kept the eventual fifth-ranked Nittany Lions out of the College Football Playoff. Pitt lost three of its four games against ACC Coastal foes North Carolina, Virginia Tech and Miami, but the Panthers pulled off arguably the biggest upset of the year — a 43-42 road decision over No. 2 Clemson. A win would give Pitt its first nine-win season since 2009. Pitt has lost seven of its last 10 bowl games. The most-recent win was in the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl over Bowling Green in 2013.
On the other side, Northwestern had to win two of its final three games to reach a bowl game. The Wildcats had an ugly loss to FCS Illinois State early in the year, but played tough the rest of the way. Pat Fitzgerald’s team started 3-1 in Big Ten play, including a win at Iowa. Northwestern also played tight games against Ohio State and Wisconsin before taking care of business against Purdue and Illinois to clinch a bowl berth. Northwestern has two bowl wins in its history — one in 1948 and another in 2012. In 2015, the Wildcats lost to 45-6 to Tennessee in the Outback Bowl.
— When Pitt hired Pat Narduzzi, it was expected the Panthers would resemble the style of Michigan State, where Narduzzi was the longtime defensive coordinator. Instead, Pitt struggled mightily on defense this year, especially in pass coverage. The Panthers allowed an average of 343.1 yards per game (second-worst in the nation) through the air.
Can Northwestern exploit that? The Wildcats run a pretty balanced attack, but saw the emergence of former walk-on Austin Carr at receiver. After combining for 23 receptions entering this season, the senior exploded for 84 catches for 1,196 yards and 12 scores. Quarterback Clayton Thorson largely took care of the ball, throwing only eight interceptions, but completed only 58.1 percent of his passes. Carr was his top target by a large margin (NW’s second-leading receiver has 37 catches), but Pitt’s defense will also have to worry about workhorse running back Justin Jackson, the third-leading rusher in the Big Ten with 1,300 yards.
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— And while the Pitt defense allowed an average of 35.6 points per game, the offense, led by first-year coordinator Matt Canada (who has accepted the OC job at LSU but will coach in the Pinstripe Bowl), was one of the most explosive units in the country. The Panthers put up 42.3 points per game — 11th nationally — and scored a whopping 175 points in their final three games. Running back James Conner, in his inspiring return after a cancer diagnosis, rushed for 1,060 yards and 16 scores. It will be the final collegiate game of Conner’s career, too. The 2014 ACC Player of the Year has already announced his intent to declare for the NFL draft.
The other big weapon on Pitt’s offense is sophomore Quadree Henderson. In addition to being one of the nation’s biggest return threats, Henderson rushed for 555 yards on just 54 carries and caught 23 passes for 241 yards. Canada’s offense uses a lot of misdirection, and Henderson has been a huge beneficiary of that style. Northwestern has a pretty solid run defense (No. 31 overall) but, like Pitt, has struggled against the pass. The Wildcats give up 264.9 passing yards per game, 111th in the country.
Mascot prediction: I could be wrong, but I’m assuming a panther technically is a wildcat. But a wildcat is too generic, so this particular wildcat could be something smaller than a panther. The panther reigns supreme here.
Real predictions:
Graham Watson: Pitt 31, Northwestern 13
Nick Bromberg: Pitt 45, Northwestern 30
Sam Cooper: Pitt 41, Northwestern 33
Chris Herbert: Pitt 42, Northwestern 13
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Sam Cooper is a writer for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!
