Pittsburgh vs. Northwestern Prediction, Pinstripe Bowl Preview, LINK!

[CaptainSidneyReilly]

One will not like this particular Prediction but it confirms that Pitt Player's cannot take the Coach Fitzgerald's Wildcats lightly and they have nothing to lose to go all out. At the same time, Pitt's Own Coach Pat promised after the Syracuse Game to have the Defense ready, but many Pitt Fans heard that before every game? Northwestern is a Team with a daring,
superb, execution passing game.....sound familiar???

Northwestern 6-6 Wildcats would love look to sidestep a losing season. Bowl Games are hard to predict and remember many thought Pitt would be ready to Sink Navy, but instead The MidShipMen caught and skinned the Panthers from Play 1 to Play 80, and gutted Pitt like a Big Fish? Don't want to see that again nor a close game like all year long.
49 Pitt Northwestern 29

Individual Game Results of Pittsburgh (vs Northwestern), 1869-2015
Pitt 3-3
1973 @Northwestern (4-7) W 21-14 (Dorsett's 3rd Game)*
1972 Northwestern (2-9) L 22-27
1954 Northwestern (2-7) W 14-7
1953 @Northwestern (3-6) L 21 -27
1950 @Northwestern (6-3) L 23 -28
1949 @Northwestern (4-5) W 16-7
*As a freshman in 1973 he set a NCAA one-game record, 265 yards, against Northwestern.
LINK:
http://www.footballfoundation.org/Programs/CollegeFootballHallofFame/SearchDetail.aspx?id=70019

By the way, look how close Northwestern won and loss games against some Ranked Teams!

Northwestern 2016 Season:
21-22 Loss Western Michigan #15
7-9 Loss Illinois State
24-13 Win Duke
13-24 Loss Nebraska
38-31 Win @Iowa
54-40 Win @MSU
24-14 Win Indiana
20-24 Loss @Ohio State #3
7-21 Loss Wisconsin #8
45-17 Win @Purdue
17-29 Loss@Minnesota
41-21 Win Illinois
Pitt Panthers Fate???
Excerpts:
Advantages
Offense: Pittsburgh – Much more explosive and consistent than Northwestern.

Defense: Northwestern – The Wildcats have had their issues, but the Panthers finished 13th in the 14-team ACC in total defense.

Special Teams: Pittsburgh – Quadree Henderson led the ACC in average yards per punt return and brought one back for a touchdown.

Coaching: Even – Both coaches are very passionate and have similar motivational tactics. They’re also trying to be competitive in tough conferences and are holding their own.

Intangibles: Pittsburgh – More bowl experience as it prepares for its ninth straight postseason game.

Matchup To Watch
Jackson vs. Pittsburgh’s run defense
Most damage done against the Panthers comes through the air. They finished third in the ACC in rushing, and it’ll be a challenge for Jackson to get going. If he does and the Wildcats can move it a little in the passing game as well, Northwestern might be able to pull this one out.

Betting Odds
Matchup: No. 23 Pittsburgh vs. Northwestern
Opening Line: Pitt -3.5

Campus Insiders Staff Picks
Brian Stultz: Pitt
Jeff Bartl: Northwestern
Rich Cirminiello: Pitt
Robert Judin: Pitt
Jordan Cornette: Pitt

Prediction Score At The Link...................
https://campusinsiders.com/news/pit...prediction-pinstripe-bowl-preview-12-04-2016/

 

[9nationalchampionships]

Odd Shark has PITT as a 3 pt favorite. No over/under up yet.....this one should be interesting

 

[TIGER-PAUL]

Interesting, but he is a B10 writer.

 

[MIPittfan]

Pitt 45
Northwestern 23

 

[JohnnyGossamer]

Hmm. Let's see. Pitt 41-31.

 

[rmndcat]

Whatever the line, bet the over.

 

[EastOhioPanther]

Pitt 42
Northwestern 27

H2P

 

[CaptainSidneyReilly]

Whatever the line, bet the over.

LLoL!

Most Vegas will tell you that Over Wins more than the Under, but in 2016 it especially applied to Pitt and Pitt opponents!

 

[raleighpanther]

Pitt 45
Northwestern 23

MIPittfan has it about right.

 

[CaptainSidneyReilly]

MIPittfan has it about right.

I need to read more articles on the Pitt Squad but right now, I starting think it may be another Duke Game Win much as your own and MIPittfan think too!

 

[pittman71]

Pitt 59 Northwestern 58

 

[crosbymalkin8771]

Got over 3 weeks to come up with my prediction! Damn long layoffs (though the real long layoff is from then til September...)

 

[Pitt79]

Pitt 63 NW 55

 

[CaptainSidneyReilly]

Pitt 63 NW 55

How about a New Record Again.......77-62!

 

[pawildcat]

As a Northwestern fan, we're looking forward to playing Pitt, but most on our board think this is not a good matchup for us. It looks very similar to last year when the Cats probably overachieved to win 10 games and ended up against a Tennessee team that had a deceptive 8-4 record and had almost beaten Alabama.
Our offense is better than last year's (it almost had to be) as QB Clayton Thorson has shown great improvement from his freshman to sophomore year. The OL has been patchy, hampered by injuries most of the season to guys we thought would be starters, including a guy from out your way, Ian Park (Upper St. Clair). Unfortunately, our offensive strength is mostly with running, which plays into Pitt's hands a bit. Justin Jackson, our running back, is a junior who is coming off three straight 1,000-yard rushing seasons. He doesn't have great top-end speed, but is very elusive, which is why he has been so successful behind o-lines that, to put it charitably, have not been the best in the B1G.
The pass offense has been decent with B1G leading receiver Austin Carr.
The defense, which was great last year, has slipped a bit. That's largely due to injuries in the secondary, which was considered a strength of the team preseason. Matthew Harris, our best cover corner and second team all-B1G last year, went out with a concussion early in the season and has retired from football. We've also lost two other guys back there. The replacements have played decently, but the losses have hurt. The front seven is fairly solid, with MLB Anthony Walker coming on after some early-season injuries. We also have a strong rush end in Ifeadi Odenigbo.
Probably Northwestern's best chance to win the game is to control the ball a little bit and hope to keep Pitt's offense off the field. Our defense is OK, but given the records there is no particular reason to believe that the Cats will be the first team to stop Pitt this year. Northwestern definitely does not want to get into a Syracuse-style scoring war with Pitt.
Again, looking forward to the game and good luck to you.

 

[CaptainSidneyReilly]

As a Northwestern fan, we're looking forward to playing Pitt, but most on our board think this is not a good matchup for us. It looks very similar to last year when the Cats probably overachieved to win 10 games and ended up against a Tennessee team that had a deceptive 8-4 record and had almost beaten Alabama.
Our offense is better than last year's (it almost had to be) as QB Clayton Thorson has shown great improvement from his freshman to sophomore year. The OL has been patchy, hampered by injuries most of the season to guys we thought would be starters, including a guy from out your way, Ian Park (Upper St. Clair). Unfortunately, our offensive strength is mostly with running, which plays into Pitt's hands a bit. Justin Jackson, our running back, is a junior who is coming off three straight 1,000-yard rushing seasons. He doesn't have great top-end speed, but is very elusive, which is why he has been so successful behind o-lines that, to put it charitably, have not been the best in the B1G.
The pass offense has been decent with B1G leading receiver Austin Carr.
The defense, which was great last year, has slipped a bit. That's largely due to injuries in the secondary, which was considered a strength of the team preseason. Matthew Harris, our best cover corner and second team all-B1G last year, went out with a concussion early in the season and has retired from football. We've also lost two other guys back there. The replacements have played decently, but the losses have hurt. The front seven is fairly solid, with MLB Anthony Walker coming on after some early-season injuries. We also have a strong rush end in Ifeadi Odenigbo.
Probably Northwestern's best chance to win the game is to control the ball a little bit and hope to keep Pitt's offense off the field. Our defense is OK, but given the records there is no particular reason to believe that the Cats will be the first team to stop Pitt this year. Northwestern definitely does not want to get into a Syracuse-style scoring war with Pitt.
Again, looking forward to the game and good luck to you.

Thanks for the Great Post and refreshing to have Northwestern Posters on the Lair Board talking content on the coming Bowl Game.

We get many Hidden Trolls from Penn State BWI and upset Pitt beat them this year and cost them the NCS Playoff shot, we could care less, just like to share and learn CFB posts on the air.

Welcome and your Post was very insightful!

 

[d'son d]

easterner by birth (Philly) but Northwestern by adoption and marriage., It all depends on which NU team shows up for the game. Clearly the weather is not a factor since we are both cold weather teams. Some of our losses (Ohio State) break your heart with the closeness of a win while the ISU loss was by a FG bouncing off the goal post as time expired, but through rather than back out. With the three weeks of preparation and time off for healing we're looking forward to a great game on both sides of the ball. Your coach is well known to us so we know how prepared Pitt will be.
If our Ohio state or Iowa team shows up, good for us. But if the ISU team is out there, it will be a long afternoon.

 

[Catsfan 7181]

Thanks for setting up this link. It is nice to be able to have a place where true fans can share ideas and incites rather than rants and attacks. We are all too aware of the negative aspects of these bowl games and the fan interactions based on previous years.

While we work to learn your particular phrases and "hot buttons" let me be among the first to tell you of one of ours. I noticed in several posts that you refer to us as NW. That is a big negative for us. Only our boorish rivals in the BIG use that set of initials as a perjorative.

We are NU. That is, Northwestern University, and proud of it. We are looking forward to December 28 and meeting your team in NY. We will have our hands full since the match up for us is not ideal. Previous postings have done a good job of outlining our issues against your strengths. It all will boil down, as always, to the guys in the trenches. The line play on both sides will determine this winner.

Go Cats!

 

[Hungry Jack]

Greetings Pitt brethren. Wildcat fan here from Chicago. Great to have the chance to play an intriguing Panther team that really seems to be on the rise. Any team that beats Clemson and PSU has my respect (and my admiration and gratitude for the latter victory).

My only ask is that everyone take the Cats lightly. We seem to play best as big road dogs. We need to get the line up to 10 points or so for the Cats to have a chance.

 

[9nationalchampionships]

Welcome! 10 points to our defense means we are losing!

 

[CaptainSidneyReilly]

Thanks for setting up this link. It is nice to be able to have a place where true fans can share ideas and incites rather than rants and attacks. We are all too aware of the negative aspects of these bowl games and the fan interactions based on previous years.

While we work to learn your particular phrases and "hot buttons" let me be among the first to tell you of one of ours. I noticed in several posts that you refer to us as NW. That is a big negative for us. Only our boorish rivals in the BIG use that set of initials as a perjorative.

We are NU. That is, Northwestern University, and proud of it. We are looking forward to December 28 and meeting your team in NY. We will have our hands full since the match up for us is not ideal. Previous postings have done a good job of outlining our issues against your strengths. It all will boil down, as always, to the guys in the trenches. The line play on both sides will determine this winner.

Go Cats!

Thanks, I Stand Corrected and on the Lair we seek to correct errors and omissions without arrogance or ignorance. Won't happen again, and we often use NU for Nebraska, from now on I will spell out Northwestern!

 

[CaptainSidneyReilly]

Hungry Jack, post: 1700424, member: 48280"]Greetings Pitt brethren. Wildcat fan here from Chicago. Great to have the chance to play an intriguing Panther team that really seems to be on the rise. Any team that beats Clemson and PSU has my respect (and my admiration and gratitude for the latter victory).
You have found a Second Home on Rivals, come back anytime and often.

My only ask is that everyone take the Cats lightly. We seem to play best as big road dogs. We need to get the line up to 10 points or so for the Cats to have a chance.
I have posted over and over it is a mistake to underestimate Pat Fitzgerald anytime in any game, do it at one's own peril. Franklin did that twice!

Panthers & Wild Cats are known to paw and claw!

 

[rmndcat]

Hungry Jack, post: 1700424, member: 48280"]Greetings Pitt brethren. Wildcat fan here from Chicago. Great to have the chance to play an intriguing Panther team that really seems to be on the rise. Any team that beats Clemson and PSU has my respect (and my admiration and gratitude for the latter victory).
You have found a Second Home on Rivals, come back anytime and often.

My only ask is that everyone take the Cats lightly. We seem to play best as big road dogs. We need to get the line up to 10 points or so for the Cats to have a chance.
I have posted over and over it is a mistake to underestimate Pat Fitzgerald anytime in nay game, do it at one;s own peril. Franklin did that twice!

Panthers & Wild Cats are known to paw and claw!

Actually Franklin has done that 4 times. Fitz owns him going back to Franklin's time at Vandy. So much so, that Vandy bailed on the final game of a non-conf contract before Franklin left...at least that's how we interpreted it.

 

[MajorMajors]

Appreciate the posts from "NU" fans. Just looking at your scores this season, I'm surprised that some of those teams were able to hold your points-total down.

Pitt's defense this season has been - I don't know which word to use - how about "struggling." How about "struggling big-time." When we make our opponent punt it's a rarity and a time for celebration. Coach Duzz has not yet had the chance to field his defensive recruits and we give up big plays galore. Course we also have been having our own big plays galore with our unexpectedly explosive offense.

I do suspect that with NU having plenty of time to study Coach Oh Canada's offense, you will do better than most in defending the Panthers.

With the exception of our opener and the Miami game, Pitt has played exciting games all season. Hope it continues in the Big Apple.

Hail to Pitt.

 

[CaptainSidneyReilly]

Actually Franklin has done that 4 times. Fitz owns him going back to Franklin's time at Vandy. So much, so that Vandy bailed on the final game of a non-conf contract before Franklin left...at least that's how we interpreted it.

As stated, thank you for that info, and we Share to Learn on the Lair together!


Do the PSU Cult Trolls attack Northwestern when Fitz's Beats PSU too?

The Lair has many good PSU Posters that make good discussions and defend their Teams & School and welcome it. But then a few BWI Cultists come over and threads have to be deleted?

 

[Hungry Jack]

Appreciate the posts from "NU" fans. Just looking at your scores this season, I'm surprised that some of those teams were able to hold your points-total down.

Pitt's defense this season has been - I don't know which word to use - how about "struggling." How about "struggling big-time." When we make our opponent punt it's a rarity and a time for celebration. Coach Duzz has not yet had the chance to field his defensive recruits and we give up big plays galore. Course we also have been having our own big plays galore with our unexpectedly explosive offense.

I do suspect that with NU having plenty of time to study Coach Oh Canada's offense, you will do better than most in defending the Panthers.

With the exception of our opener and the Miami game, Pitt has played exciting games all season. Hope it continues in the Big Apple.

Hail to Pitt.

Our offense performed very unevenly throughout the season. We had prolific performances against Mich St, Iowa, Purdue, and Illinois, but were flummoxed by Wisconsin and Minnesota. They all can be scrutinized in terms of how our line fared along the LOS. We are more technical than physical along the offensive line, so bigger fronts can disrupt our performance.

 

[rmndcat]

LLoL!

Most Vegas will tell you that Over Wins more than the Under, but in 2016 it especially applied to Pitt and Pitt opponents!

And given what I have read about your secondary, Thorson to Carr should be productive. Not sure that we'll keep up with Pitt, but the Cats should get some points. We have a good ground game, but that seems to be Pitt's defensive strength.

 

[EastOhioPanther]

Question for the NU crowd... Regarding your QB and Oline. How mobile is QB?, and does he throw alot of quick patterns, or use pocket to launch downfield.. If comfortable in pocket, had he taken alot of sacks....
Pitts D likes to keep routes in front of them, and give cushions, which would play well with quick release patterns & bubble screens (See Syracuse)... Pitt has had success, (specifically Price), with getting some sacks.. So if your QB hangs in the pocket, expect Price to get pressure.... If you QB, has time to launch long patterns.... Well, or CB's dont play the ball... and could be interesting..... So if Pitt is able to play any D at all, it would bode well for the Panthers....
I am hoping that Narduzzi has a history with playing NU, which could be an advantage for Pitt...

 

[pittguy81]

And given what I have read about your secondary, Thorson to Carr should be productive. Not sure that we'll keep up with Pitt, but the Cats should get some points. We have a good ground game, but that seems to be Pitt's defensive strength.

If you have a QB who can heave it somewhere down the field, you should at least get a handful of productive PI calls regardless of actual completions...which should be plentiful as well. Despite that, Pitt's offense is so multiple and productive it's going to hard for NU to slow them down.

 

[rmndcat]

If you have a QB who can heave it somewhere down the field, you should at least get a handful of productive PI calls regardless of actual completions...which should be plentiful as well. Despite that, Pitt's offense is so multiple and productive it's going to hard for NU to slow them down.

I think we're seeing the same thing...it's a question of whether NU can keep up and that would probably be a pretty big stretch.

 

[rmndcat]

Question for the NU crowd... Regarding your QB and Oline. How mobile is QB?, and does he throw alot of quick patterns, or use pocket to launch downfield.. If comfortable in pocket, had he taken alot of sacks....
Pitts D likes to keep routes in front of them, and give cushions, which would play well with quick release patterns & bubble screens (See Syracuse)... Pitt has had success, (specifically Price), with getting some sacks.. So if your QB hangs in the pocket, expect Price to get pressure.... If you QB, has time to launch long patterns.... Well, or CB's dont play the ball... and could be interesting..... So if Pitt is ieable to play any D at all, it would bode well for the Panthers....
I am hoping that Narduzzi has a history with playing NU, which could be an advantage for Pitt...

OL protection is pretty variable. NU QBs as a rule learn not to hang out too long in the pocket (which is why Trevor Siemian is well matched with Denver's OL). Expect screens to Jackson and downfield stuff to Carr.

 

[Hungry Jack]

As stated, thank you for that info, and we Share to Learn on the Lair together!


Do the PSU Cult Trolls attack Northwestern when Fitz's Beats PSU too?

The Lair has many good PSU Posters that make good discussions and defend their Teams & School and welcome it. But then a few BWI Cultists come over and threads have to be deleted?

Around Chicago, I am known as "The King of Western Avenue." It is a title I have duitfully earned over the years. PSU fans that come and troll the Wildcat fan site are treated to my special brand of street justice. I once stared down four BMW X5 drivers in the Starbucks' drive-through when they their lattes were more important than my raspberry scone.

 

[DkeCat]

Question for the NU crowd... Regarding your QB and Oline. How mobile is QB?, and does he throw alot of quick patterns, or use pocket to launch downfield.. If comfortable in pocket, had he taken alot of sacks....
Pitts D likes to keep routes in front of them, and give cushions, which would play well with quick release patterns & bubble screens (See Syracuse)... Pitt has had success, (specifically Price), with getting some sacks.. So if your QB hangs in the pocket, expect Price to get pressure.... If you QB, has time to launch long patterns.... Well, or CB's dont play the ball... and could be interesting..... So if Pitt is able to play any D at all, it would bode well for the Panthers....
I am hoping that Narduzzi has a history with playing NU, which could be an advantage for Pitt...

Hi all - looking forward to a great game and thanks for having us on your board (and, as many of you have figured out by now, we have a mutual shared hatred of PSU).

Re: our QB, fast straight-line, but not very agile or quick side-to-side. Has actually won a few games for us with his feet (see his run against Stanford and runs against Nebby last year), but no one will confuse him as a running qb.

Re: offense, unfortunately, given the sad state of our o-line, we are relegated to a lot of mesh, slants and outs, as Thorson does not have the time to throw downfield (nor the pocket presence just yet). That said, he has come a long way as a QB in just a year (split time at QB/WR in HS, so only a few years of dedicated QB work) and will likely have most records by the time he graduates.

Where we've really struggled is teams that bring pressure and have the strength to press or play close. When Thorson has time, he has been fantastic (see Iowa or Michigan St wins).

 

[CaptainSidneyReilly]

Around Chicago, I am known as "The King of Western Avenue." It is a title I have duitfully earned over the years. PSU fans that come and troll the Wildcat fan site are treated to my special brand of street justice. I once stared down four BMW X5 drivers in the Starbucks' drive-through when they their lattes were more important than my raspberry scone.

Had an Uncle & Aunt that were Alderman for Daley Machine in 1960s and relatives in Skokie.

The Penn Staters are OK but there is a group full of outright arrogance and ignorance and still think they have swagger but that is long gone once the Scandal exposed the Program's Non-Compliance's and required Sanctions. They were bad mouthing everyone and anything until the truth was exposed.

 

[rmndcat]

As stated, thank you for that info, and we Share to Learn on the Lair together!


Do the PSU Cult Trolls attack Northwestern when Fitz's Beats PSU too?

The Lair has many good PSU Posters that make good discussions and defend their Teams & School and welcome it. But then a few BWI Cultists come over and threads have to be deleted?

We don't get that much PSU trolling. They liked to think of their program as one that "does things the right way," with graduation rates, etc., so some of them liked to associate with NU ("we're the good programs in the conference"), after they joined the B1G. They were almost uniformly polite (if sometimes patronizing).

Of course, after Sandusky, PSU trolls (and even sometimes regular fans) are often hounded by NU fans (we can get a bit self-righteous), which probably discourages traffic, good and bad. Also, since we're in different divisions, we don't play annually and therefore we don't have a natural rivalry.

 

[CaptainSidneyReilly]

We don't get that much PSU trolling. They liked to think of their program as one that "does things the right way," with graduation rates, etc., so some of them liked to associate with NU ("we're the good programs in the conference"), after they joined the B1G. They were almost uniformly polite (if sometimes patronizing). Of course, after Sandusky, PSU trolls (and even sometimes regular fans) are often hounded by NU fans, which probably discourages traffic, good and bad. Also, since we're in different divisions, we don't play annually and therefore we don't have a natural rivalry.

Separate from the Crimes that are still pending in Courts & Lawsuits, the Department of Education Largest Fine in History of $2,4 Million for Lack of Atheltic Integrity on title IX and cited Paterno Era football refusing to accept Clery Act Reporting.

 

[TD_istheman]

Pitt 101 , NW 100

 

[UPitt '89]

Whatever Northwestern's passing records are for a single game in their history, they will be broken on Dec 28.

But Pitt will still win.

49-41.

 

[docrugby1]

If you have a QB who can heave it somewhere down the field, you should at least get a handful of productive PI calls regardless of actual completions...which should be plentiful as well. Despite that, Pitt's offense is so multiple and productive it's going to hard for NU to slow them down.

I watched a Pitt game earlier this year. The commentators described Pitt's freshman corner as committing pass interference on every play ,knowing that the refs will not call it every play. I didn't think much of it again until your post

I hope it is a high scoring close game

I always thought Pitt was a perfect fit for B1G expansion-good academics,sports and in a relatively big city. I guess PSU probably kept that from happening. Does Pitt feel comfortable in the ACC

 

[chethejet]

Pitt is just so hard to predict. That defense can be horrendous at times. Just mind boggling to me just how bad they can play. they have experience up the kazoo on defense and they flat out stink most of the time. But Pitt may surprise as Soto, Jarrett and Price can be tough to block. Whitehead is a player who may be back. That helps I guess if he does. But Pitt is very physical and that gives Pitt a big edge.