Dec 28, 2016; Bronx, NY, USA; Northwestern Wildcats running back Justin Jackson (21) celebrates his touchdown against the Pittsburgh Panthers during the first half of the Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium. Photo Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
NEW YORK — Running back Justin Jackson ran for 226 yards and three touchdowns, leading the Northwestern Wildcats to a 31-24 win over the Pittsburgh Panthers in the New Era Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday.
Jackson came within one yard of eclipsing the Pinstripe Bowl’s rushing mark established by Devine Redding of Indiana, who gained 227 yards against Duke in the 2015 game.
Jackson, a junior, averaged 6.8 yards in his 33 carries for Northwestern (7-6). Wildcats quarterback Clayton Johnson was 23 of 36 for 214 yards with a touchdown pass.
Pitt quarterback Nathan Peterman was 13 of 18 for 253 yards and a TD pass before leaving the game in the third quarter.
Junior running back James Conner, who overcame cancer and a torn MCL to rush for 1,060 yards this season, sustained an injury late in the first half and didn’t return. He finished with 32 yards on eight carries. Conner declared himself eligible for the 2017 NFL draft earlier in December.
Panthers freshman quarterback Ben DiNucci had his team in position to tie the game, but Northwestern safety Jared McGee picked off his pass near the goal line with 2:49 left.
Jack Mitchell tacked on a 37-yard field goal to move Northwestern’s lead to 31-24 with 6:14 to play.
The Wildcats regained the lead in the back-and-forth affair at 28-24 with 8:23 left in the game. On fourth-and-1, Thorson found ‘superback’ Garrett Dickerson wide open in the flat for a 21-yard touchdown.
DiNucci, who replaced Peterman late in the third quarter after the latter took a hit to the helmet, gave the Panthers (8-5) their third lead of the day. He rolled out right and hit fullback George Aston with a 6-yard toss that gave Pitt a 24-21 lead with 13:15 to play.
A blocked punt by freshman Chawntez Moss shortened the field for the Panthers to 22 yards for the scoring drive.
Jackson’s third touchdown, a 40-yard dart up the middle, moved Northwestern back in front 21-17 with 7:47 remaining in the third.
Pitt took a 17-14 lead on their first possession of the second half. Peterman sprinted in from 5 yards with just 1:47 elapsed. The score was set up on a 57-yard sweep by wide receiver Quadree Henderson on the first play of the 68-yard march.
The Panthers cut the Northwestern lead to 14-10 with a 69-yard strike from Peterman to wide receiver Jester Weah down the right sideline with 2:51 left in the first half. Weah had one step on Northwestern cornerback Montre Hartage.
Jackson went 16 yards around right end, bouncing off a few tackles near the goal line, to score his second touchdown of the game, giving the Wildcats a 14-3 edge with 3:08 left in the half. Northwestern went 74 yards in eight plays for the score.
Northwestern stopped Pitt on fourth-and-goal at the end of the first quarter and marched 99 yards in 10 plays over 4:19, culminating with Jackson scoring his 28th career touchdown from 8 yards out. The point after gave the Wildcats a 7-3 lead.
Jackson rushed for 91 yards, the most in a quarter in his career, but Northwestern trailed 3-0 after the first thanks to a 46-yard field from Chris Blewitt.
NOTES: New York Yankees manager Joe Girardi was a catcher at Northwestern from 1983-1986, earning three All Big Ten selections. … Pitt is the only team to knock off two Power 5 conference championship teams, Clemson (43-42) and Penn State (42-39). … Junior RB Justin Jackson is the first player in Northwestern history to rush for 1,000-plus yards in three straight seasons. … The two schools hadn’t met since 1973 when Panthers running back Tony Dorsett was a freshman and rushed for what was then a school-record 265 yards in a 21-14 Pitt win.
