Northwestern players, alumni react to Pinstripe Bowl victory

In a back and forth affair, Northwestern topped no. 23 Pitt in the New Era Pinstripe Bowl 31-24 Wednesday afternoon. The victory constitutes only the third bowl title in Northwestern program history (its first since 2012) so, naturally, the Wildcats’ win garnered a good deal of excitement across the internet.

It all started with a simple birthday request from Seth Meyers:

Despite entering the contest as 5.5 point underdogs, the Wildcats fought hard to fulfill Meyers’ wish. And as soon as Kyle Queiro iced the game with an interception of Pitt quarterback Ben DiNucci with just over a minute remaining in the fourth quarter, the celebration was underway:

On a day where Clayton Thorson set the Northwestern program record for passing touchdowns in a season (22) and Pat Fitzgerald earned the second bowl victory in his coaching career, Justin Jackson was the story. The junior tailback ended the day with 224 yards rushing and 3 TDs, effectively carrying the Wildcat offense up and down the field throughout the game:

The performance earned ‘The Ball Carrier’ MVP honors:

Following the victory, plenty more NU alums flashed their purple pride for all the world to see:

While it was a brisk day in the Bronx, no snowfall graced the field of Yankee Stadium throughout the duration of this one. But that didn’t stop Northwestern players from having a little fun after a hard-fought contest:

The Northwestern cheerleading squad got in on the festivities, as well:

After taking a little time to enjoy the moment with their teammates, some Northwestern players (and coaches) also made a point of broadcasting their elation:

Wide receiver Solomon Vault:

Punter Hunter Niswander:

Offensive line coach Adam Cushing:

Defensive end Mark Gooden:

And, of course, some took the opportunity to toss just a little bit of shade at their doubters:

Offensive lineman JB Butler:

Defensive back Marcus McShepard:

Linebacker Joseph Jones:

Head coach Pat Fitzgerald:

We’re looking at you, Kanell.

And so, another tumultuous season of Northwestern football culminates in this:

See you next year, folks.