Covers Wisconsin and Big Ten. Sager graduated from Northwestern University with a bachelor’s degree in speech in 1973.
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Playing at Yankee Stadium in the New Era Pinstripe Bowl, the Northwestern football team paid tribute to a New York City staple, Rockettes.
If you’re reading this, the chances are pretty good that you already know that Pitt lost the Pinstripe Bowl, 31-24, to Northwestern Wednesday afternoon.
Pitt would regain the lead one final time in the game after backup quarterback Ben DiNucci connected with fullback George Alston early in the 4th quarter, but a 21-yard touchdown pass from Wildcat quarterback Clayton Thorson to Garrett Dickerson clinched the victory for Northwestern.
Northwestern’s defense also deserves a lot of credit. Pitt defeated Penn State 42-39 and handed Clemson its only loss, 43-42. Pitt’s offense came into the game as the most efficient touchdown-scoring offense in the red zone this season. Carr has had six games this season with 100 yards, and the Pitt defense won’t attack the NU passing game hard enough to prevent him from getting to seven.
No one is going to confuse Northwestern for Ohio State or MI in the Big Ten, but this is a program still establishing an identity and taking positive steps forward.
In Sept. 2015, Conner suffered the debilitating knee injury.
With football season now over, attention can turn to signing day, an offensive coordinator search and, of course, the Scott Barnes-sized void in Pitt’s athletic department. The Cats, though, answered with an 89-yard touchdown drive capped by a highlight-reel 40-yard touchdown rush by Jackson. The Wildcats would hold on fourth down when Jared McGee picked off DiNucci. After a Northwestern punt, DiNucci was intercepted by Kyle Queiro to seal it.
On defense, Anthony Walker Jr. and Co. will have their hands full against Pittsburgh’s physical, downhill running attack. Northwestern took a 14-10 lead into the half which would stand for only a few minutes after returning from the break.
Despite being without two starters on offense, Pitt twice forced Northwestern to gamble on fourth down on their go-ahead scoring drive and the Wildcats proved to be successful when rolling the dice.
Yes, entering Wednesday afternoon’s Pinstripe Bowl in NY, the Wildcats had just two postseason victories in program history: the 1949 Rose Bowl and the 2013 Gator Bowl. The Wildcats’ only bowl victory in that span was the 2013 Gator Bowl.
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The Cats won a bowl game for the third time in their history, against a favored opponent with the crowd advantage on their side and a national television audience watching at home, by fielding a 22-man lineup that included just three seniors.
