The much maligned Pitt defense took yet another beating yesterday as the Panthers fell 31-24 to the Northwestern Wildcats in the Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium (Bronx, NY). The Panthers surrendered nearly 500 yards of offense in the losing effort.

Normally, the thrashing would be through the air (Pitt is ranked next to last in the FBS in pass defense) but Northwestern was able to gash most of the yardage on the ground including 224 yards, 3 TDs on 32 carries from the game’s MVP Justin Jackson.

While the Pitt defense struggled mightily, the Pitt offense again looked potent but failed to convert numerous opportunities in the red zone that contributed to the loss.

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